According to editor Piers Morgan, the truth is that the Mirror relaunch started on September 11, but it is only now Trinity Mirror has chosen to make it official.
On the dropping of the red masthead, Morgan says what was once a badge of tabloid honour now epitomises something downmarket, sleazy and tacky.
The move follows the paper's post-September 11 drive to embrace serious journalism and move away from blanket celebrity news and gossip. The paper has won many plaudits from commentators for its coverage of the war in Afghanistan.
As part of this change, Morgan has recruited "serious" journalists such as John Pilger, Christopher Hitchens, Matthew Norman and Jonathan Freedland to contribute to the paper.
However, Morgan denies the changes represent a move upmarket: "The changes are not about going upmarket. They are about becoming a serious paper with serious news, serious sport, serious gossip and serious entertainment."
The paper will use bold pictures to dominate the front page with "Daily Mirror" and "Sunday Mirror" appearing in white, underlined in red.
The new-look masthead will put the focus firmly on the paper's lead stories, and move the title away from its red-top competitors.
The Sunday Mirror gets a brand-new magazine, M-Celebs, increasing the paper's appeal to female readers. The 72-page glossy focuses on celebrity stories and gossip, with the customary Mirror style and attitude.
The relaunch will be backed by a hard-hitting new advertising campaign which is designed to act as an extension of the paper -- rather than just talking about it. The new line, "The Mirror? Think again", is intended to capture the paper's campaigning and challenging approach.
According to Morgan: "We have a better understanding of what our readers want and these latest changes are designed to take us yet further ahead of the pack. Our new look signals we are a different kind of newspaper."
The revamp brings with it a host of other initiatives, including new writers, sections and layouts.
The Cassandra column, the legendary voice of the people for three decades, is returning in a new guise. Another new Mirror section, M-Health, comes to Thursday's paper, with health, beauty and fitness advice for men and women.
Friday's Mirror has also been redesigned, with more space for Jonathan Ross's movie column. A new pullout, The Ticket, provides news and information for the entertainment week ahead.
The Saturday paper has undergone a complete transformation, with a whole new Review section featuring lifestyle, travel and entertainment reviews, and a beefed-up racing supplement, The Winner.
New names joining the paper include Matthew Norman from the Evening Standard as a columnist, while Oliver Holt, The Times' sports commentator, becomes chief sports writer and Miranda Sawyer is also writing for the paper.
Saturday's award-winning Look magazine also gets a makeover, with the emphasis totally on TV reviews, gossip and listings for the week ahead.
There will, says Trinity Mirror, be more gossip too. The paper's now world-famous celebrity team -- the 3am Girls -- get double billing every day from now on, and Shelleyvision's TV review goes daily.
Mark Haysom, Trinity Mirror's managing director of national titles, said: "It is time to reinvest in the Daily and Sunday Mirror, putting them back on the road to greatness. The paper has a powerful role to play as the champion of truth and enemy of spin and I am convinced the Mirror is set to be a great brand again."
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