I wonder if Benjamin Franklin knew what sort of beast he was unleashing into the world as he set pen to paper in what is widely regarded as one of the first autobiographies written.

I must admit to having read very few autobiographies - I'm not really heavily into sport and I prefer to listen to a wide range of music, rather than focus on a particular artist or band.  In saying that, I did find the Murray Walker autobiography interesting.  Frank Skinner's book was very amusing, yet I felt the autobiographical elements were simply a vehicle for a stream of gags.

I learn today that a new phrase, ad hoc autobiography, is being used to describe the proliferation of publications coming onto the market, whereby 'celebrities' are desperate to wring out every last drop of cash from their 15 minutes of fame.

From the limited research I have just conducted, the best selling autobiography had previously been David Beckham's, but this has been beaten by Sharon Osbourne's memoirs.  I can't say that either appeal to me personally, but I can see why others may be interested in their life story.

This week, though, I believe that low depths have been reached.  The first announcement of the week came that Billie "Because We Want To" Piper was working on her autobiography at the tender age of 23 2/3 (only 13 years and 11 months later in life than Adrian Mole according to my calculations, though that was a diary so maybe I wasted my time doing that calculation).  Once again, in a more charitable moment I can just about see how people may want to track her progress from Smash Hits ad girl, through her pop career, into the murky world of being Mrs Chris Evans and out the other side to being the lovely Rose Tyler.  Maybe if she wasn't so fanciable I wouldn't be so misforgiving.

However, the next announcement really stuck in my craw.  Chantelle, the member of the public that won Celebrity Big Brother, has been offered a £300,000 deal to write her autobiography.  I don't believe I have to write anything else.