British nosiness is to blame for the terrible tabloid treatment of Ben Stokes and Gareth Thomas

We hear a lot about the positive aspects of being British, but what about the downside – our love of gossip, snooping, and sneering at anyone different

I’ve always found nosiness repellent. Yet our insatiable desire to know the most intimate details about someone’s life – usually someone we’ve never met, someone more talented than us – continues to sell millions of newspapers, drives websites and dominates chat on social media.

Photograph aren’t enough. We crave that little bit extra: what are they really like, these famous men and women?