In this age of celebrity obsessed culture, where everybody wants their 15 minutes and then some; one has to ask just how far are some people prepared to go for the elixir of fame? One has to ponder with masses the celebrity obsessed culture pushing the notion that ‘you must be famous to be notice’ or ‘you must be famous to be worth anything’, if there are some people prepared to murder for a shot of the elixir of fame and attention.  

Mick Philpott has fathered 17 children with differing partners, had gained media attention in 2006 for requesting a larger council house for his family, which then consisted of his wife Mairead Philpott, his mistress Lisa Willis, four children born to Mrs. Philpott, three to Lisa Willis, a fourth child born to Lisa Willis by a different father. Philpott appeared appeared on ITV’s Jeremy Kyle Show and a documentary Ann Widdecombe Versus the Benefits Culture, for his notoriety wfor fathering so many children whist the welfare state sustained his lifestyle to do so.

Last week, Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead Philpott were charged with murder fllowing an arson attack on their home in Derby on May 11th which killed 6 children who were living there.  The death of these 6 children is a tragedy which has shocked a nation and whatever or whoever caused the deaths of these 6 children it remains an awful tragedy.

With the finger of suspicion pointing towards Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead Philpott, many people have already judged them guilty but I’ll wait until a court has heard the evidence against them and jury of their peers has deliberated whether they are guilty or not. Thing is with the finger of suspicion pointing towards Mick Philpott and his wife, I can’t help asking myself if they did do it why then why did they do it? What was worth so much to kill 6 children, was it an attempt to get the local council to give them a bigger house, was it for the attention it would no doubt get them, was it even an attempt to get on television?

One shouldn’t speculate but one can’t help speculating; when the culture of society is so driven with the celebrity obsessed culture which pushes the notion ‘you’re not worth anything unless your famous, would a not so well educated couple be prepared to murder their own children if it gave a them another shot of that elixir of fame they’ve already been exposed to. Over recent years with the celebrity obsessed culture that seems to drive society, we have seen people prepared to go further and further in being prepared to do anything to be famous and so the further people are prepared to go to be famous, the more one ponders are people prepared to go be famous.

Back in the mid 1990s before this whole celebrity obsessed culture really took hold with the notion ‘you have to be famous to be worthy, Gus Van Zant made a film starring Nicole Kidman called 'To Die for'. This film was a very dark satire about an individual who’d do anything to be on television. I can’t help thinking that To Die For is more relevant today then back when it was released in 1995.