The Daily Mail is unimpressed by Mr Blair's elevation to an honorary paramount chief in Sierra Leone.

Richard Littlejohn calls him "Bwana Blair" and compares him with a "munificent emperor surveying the outposts of his crumbling realm".

The Daily Telegraph says Africa is a "convenient backdrop to the glorified photo-shoot" of his farewell tour.

'Symbol of hope'

Gerry and Kate McCann presenting the Pope with a picture of their daughter, Madeleine, makes several front pages.

The Sun says Mrs McCann drew some comfort from a butterfly which landed on her hair just before the meeting, seeing it as a "symbol of hope".

But the Daily Mail's Amanda Platell urges the McCanns to reconsider their publicity campaign.

She says the couple's "sustained public anguish" is "almost unwatchable" and threatens to destroy its very purpose.

Groovy grans?

It may be a strong candidate for the most reviled TV show in Britain, but the tabloids cannot ignore the start of a new series of Big Brother.

The all-female cast promises to be "the sexiest ever", the Daily Star says.

The Daily Express categorises them as lust-fuelled twins, groovy grans and a trippy hippy.

The Daily Mirror says that with 11 women in the house, the series highlight could be the fight for a hairdryer.

End of boom?

Two of Thursday's papers carry very different diagnoses of the state of the country's housing market.

The Daily Express says Land Registry figures suggest the market is in rude health with house prices soaring by 9%.

But the Daily Mail says the rise is distorted by conditions in London and prices are, in fact, falling in four of the 10 Land Registry districts.

The paper concludes that the 11-year boom in England and Wales could finally be at an end.