Leading article: Numerology

Celebrities have found lots of ways of embarrassing their children with silly names over the years: Buddy Bear, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, Moon Unit, etc. But David and Victoria Beckham have been the first celebrities to inflict future torment through a number rather than a name. Harper Seven Beckham was born in Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles yesterday. One guess is that the baby girl's middle name was inspired by her father's Manchester United squad number. Will it all work out OK? The character played by Patrick "I am not a number" McGoohan in The Prisoner met an ambiguous end. So if Seven wants to avoid the fate of Six, perhaps deed poll is the answer.