Allison Pearson's farewell: frank, moving, and above all human

Sandra Parsons is "sharp, sassy and very human". She is also the new Allison Pearson (who, five years ago, was the new Lynda Lee-Potter). But Allison, as she departs on a long, contract-tied trip to the Telegraph , is also very human. Her farewell Mail piece, talking about her intense depression, was one of the most frank and moving pieces of the year - an article to set alongside Camilla Nicholls's description of her own similar struggle in the Observer a couple of weeks ago. Writing of this calibre reaches out to readers in a time of acute emotional need. Anybody can do sharp and sassy: it's the human bit that counts.