Big scoops don't necessarily mean big sales, Richard Desmond told the Leveson inquiry on Thursday. But one exclusive that got the News of the World flying off the newsstands was its Rebecca Loos-David Beckham story in 2004, which according to former News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck sold a not inconsiderable 600,000 extra copies. The expenses he claimed for the story weren't inconsiderable either – £45,285.38, reports Thurlbeck on his blog. Ah, the good old days of journalism.
