I’ve just watched Michael Jackson announce, well, not very much at the O2 centre in London.

Aside from declaring "this is it" several times (without ever clarifying what "it" might be) and claiming the dates in July would be the last time he’d ever play live, he didn’t really say much at all.

But he did say it in an uncharacteristically deep voice.

If he’s as good as his word and the UK dates this summer do turn out to be his final pay day, it seems an odd place to do it.

This is the country, remember, responsible for the Martin Bashir documentary which led to his most recent court case. It’s also home to arguably the world’s least forgiving tabloid press.

Then again, judging by the hysterical reaction of the people who’d turned out to see him speak for all of two minutes, we might also have more Jacko-worshipping lunatics per capita than anywhere else.

Suddenly it makes perfect sense.