Tony O'Reilly has got an intriguing partner in the new owner of Express Newspapers, Indo's partner in the Irish edition of the Star. Richard Desmond, has paid £125 million sterling (€207 million) for Express, whose stable of newspapers - notably the daily and Sunday editions of the Express - have suffered savagely at the hands of the Daily Mail. Mr Desmond made his early fortune from topshelf, soft-porn titles such as Asian Babes, Women on Top and Over 40, before he expanded into more mainstream glossies with the arrival of OK! in 1993 as a rival to Hello!. Indo's partnership with Express has been very successful, with Express being, in effect, a silent partner that supplies the Irish Star with British sports coverage and showbiz gossip. The rest of the content is generated by the Star's own journalists, with Indo effectively managing the tabloid on behalf of the joint venture.

Richard Douglas's attitude towards his half-share of the Star remains to be seen, but some in the industry believe that, having paid out £125 million for Express, he might be amenable to selling his stake in the Star's Irish edition.

Needless to say, Indo would be an eager bidder for the remaining 50 per cent of the Star.