Editorial Overview

The Big Issue is a weekly entertainment and current affairs magazine. The Big Issue group magazines have a shared aim - to produce consistently exciting, engaging and entertaining content, including stories relevant to the local communities in our regional editions in the North, South-West, Wales and Scotland. In every edition we publish a broad and balanced selection of articles, from investigative news features and in-depth pieces on international issues, to reviews by leading critics of the week's must-see film, theatre, music, DVDs, gigs and visual arts, alongside challenging social comment and exclusive celebrity interviews.

Over the past 17 years The Big Issue has built up a strong reputation for journalistic integrity - our name is one which the readers, contributors and interviewees alike can trust. This reputation is a key factor in our continued success in attracting such a wide range of stars, whether they come from the world of arts, politics or sport, to grace our covers on a weekly basis. Sir Paul McCartney, David Beckham and George Michael are just a few of the celebrities who have chosen to talk to the Big Issue first over the years.

The content of the magazine, with the exception of the Streetlights Pages (our dedicated space for homeless contributors) is written by highly experienced journalists. They work alongside a professional production team that design the look of the magazine - and source pictures from top photographers and illustrators to accompany the stories.

The finished product is one that everyone involved in the Big Issue firmly believes should be one that our vendors are proud to sell and the public are keen to buy - a good-value read that has earnt its place alongside rival national magazines and papers. In the words of Founder A. John Bird: "We want to make something that flies out of vendors' hands."