DRUGS SHAME THREAT TO TEEN BAND S CLUB 7

Even for a teen band with a profile problem, sharing a spliff in the street
seems a rather drastic way of revitalising your career. But with the front
pages dominated by the pop kids of Popstars, S Club 7 must have been
desperate - or just careless.

Either way, the indiscretions of the band's three male singers were the
hottest showbiz news yesterday and the band were forced to issue a contrite
apology. "We have been very stupid. We know we've made a mistake and we're
very sorry," they said.

Bradley McIntosh, 18, Paul Cattermole, 24, and Jon Lee, 19, accepted a
formal caution from police after being arrested in Covent Garden, central
London, on Tuesday.

They had reportedly been smoking a joint in the street when officers smelt
it - one of the band members apparently attempted to stub it out on the
pavement when they were spotted. Their four female colleagues were not
involved.

It is too early to determine the effect of S Club 7's "drug shame" on their
popularity. The band are known for a particularly squeaky clean image: they
were formed as part of a children's TV show. Their BBC1 programmes, Miami 7
and LA 7, provided a platform for their records.

The band went straight to the top of the charts with their first single,
Bring It All Back, in 1999. They have enjoyed a string of hits such as S
Club Party, Reach and Two In A Million. But, despite the exposure provided
by their TV shows, they have never achieved the status of other teen appeal
bands such as Westlife, All Saints and Boyzone.

After the revelations yesterday, the BBC was quick to distance itself from
the band. A spokesman said: "They are not doing anything for us at the
moment and they are not BBC staff. It would not be for us to comment."

But Valerie Riches, president of Family and Youth Concern, said: "The
broadcasting authorities have got to remember the enormous responsibility
they have and the sort of message that this is sending out to children. I
would like them to take their responsibilities far more seriously than they
are doing at the moment."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Three men aged 18, 24 and 19 were
arrested for possession of cannabis. They were taken to Charing Cross
police station where they received a formal caution and were released." All
three had admitted the offence.

Lee and Cattermole later faced a grilling live on air while presenting
video phone-in show Select on MTV.

Journalist Dominic Mohan, from the Sun, called in to ask what they had been
up to, "smoking a joint in public".

Lee admitted they had done "something very stupid".

He added: "We regret it very much. We know we have let down a lot of people
and we are very sorry about that."

Asked whether they were embarrassed, Lee replied: "Not really embarrassed,
but we are just very upset about it. It was a stupid thing to do."

Mohan asked them to play The Verve's hit The Drugs Don't Work, but instead
they played the new S Club 7 song Don't Stop Movin'.

Highs and lows

• Boyzone band member Mikey Graham revealed last year that he had smoked
cannabis and believed it to be less dangerous than alcohol. As he prepared
for the release of his solo single in May he admitted that he liked to
smoke, drink and get high when the hordes of screaming girl fans had gone home.

• Ex-Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon was sacked by the BBC in October
1998 after the News of the World revealed he had snorted cocaine. He made a
public apology to his young fans. He went on to the job of roving reporter
on the Big Breakfast.

• At the beginning of 1997 East 17's lead singer Brian Harvey was fired
after he described ecstasy as "safe" and claimed that he had taken 12
tablets in one night. He later apologised for being "totally out of order".

• In 1997 Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was given a police caution for
possession of cocaine. His brother Noel Gallagher later said taking drugs
was "like having a cup of tea in the morning".

• Last month Myleene Klass of new pop band Hear'Say called for cannabis to
be legalised. In an interview with The Face, the 22-year-old said she did
not think it should be illegal to smoke cannabis.