The planned closure of FHM and Zoo magazines ends an era of journalism which began in 1994 with the launch of Loaded.

At the best lads' mags provided a forum for gonzo-style journalism which evoked the anarchic spirit of Hunter S Thompson. But at their worst, they were little more than soft porn and crass entertainment for emotionally under-developed males.

The demise of the lads’ mags shows what a volatile place magazine journalism is to work in. Whereas national newspaper brands last centuries and somehow have survived everything the economy and the internet can throw at them, magazine readers are a more fickle bunch.