British Press Awards boycott is over

The British Press Awards, the annual media knees-up made infamous when fisticuffs broke out between Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson, are to be resurrected in their full glory after the Mail and Telegraph titles agreed to end their boycott.

The papers refused to attend this year's awards after the event fell out of favour with Fleet Street. It had become known for drunken behaviour by journalists, some of whom shouted abuse at winners and speakers, as well as the stand-off between Mr Morgan, then editor of the Daily Mirror, and Mr Clarkson.

Mr Morgan last year acquired the trade magazine Press Gazette, which runs the awards, with Matthew Freud. This led to concerns about the involvement of the PR expert, who is married to Rupert Murdoch's daughter, Elisabeth.

But the title's new owner, the magazine publisher Wilmington, has had a series of meetings with editors and is now confident that the next awards - due to take place in March - will have the industry's support.

Wilmington's editorial director, Tony Loynes, said the Mail and Telegraph titles had "indicated" that they would attend. "I think we have reached an agreement," he said.

The awards, a major revenue source for the magazine, will be presented at the Grosvenor House hotel in London. Alcohol will be provided, but guest numbers will be restricted to around 800. Mr Loynes, who has agreed to act as chairman of the judging panel, said: "At any event when there's alcohol, people will over-indulge, but that's for us all to manage. It's essential the integrity of the awards is maintained."

Wilmington acquired Press Gazette from the administrators earlier this month after Mr Morgan and Mr Freud proved unable to turn its financial performance around.

It is not known if Richard Desmond's Express newspapers will attend; to date they have never been involved with the awards.