Gray Matter
| NEWS |  | | | | | SPORT | | | | FOOD AND WINE | | | | | | WHAT'S ON | | | | NEWS | | |
|
|
|
This time Sir Cameron has Beeb's backing
First, an apology - unsolicited by anyone - to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Last week, having been misinformed by the Radio Times, I confidently asserted that I'd Do Anything, the TV talent show on which he is a judge, was plugging one of his own West End productions (as two previous TV series in which he was involved had done). On the very day my article appeared, The Times published a report setting out the true position. In fact, Lord Lloyd-Webber is not going to be benefiting financially this time; instead, the production will be helping to line the pockets of his (spectacularly rich) mucker Sir Cameron Mackintosh (above). He will be putting on the West End production of Oliver! which TV viewers are helping to cast.
Two days later, the Daily Telegraph printed a long feature which further clarified the situation. Neil Midgley interviewed Elaine Bedell, BBC television's controller of entertainment commissioning, and put to her the suggestion (perhaps not in these words) that the Beeb was giving rich impresarios lots of lovely free advertising. She told him: "We editorially, and with Editorial Policy at the BBC, have looked incredibly carefully at this."
She denied press speculation that senior BBC management had stopped her from doing another TV talent show linked to a Lloyd Webber theatre production (which sounds very likely to me). She said: "It wasn't a diktat from on high. The two musicals we were keenest to do this year were My Fair Lady and Oliver! and they both happened to be Cameron Mackintosh productions. With well-known musicals, Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber between them pretty much own the copyrights - the exception is The Wizard of Oz."
This week saw the opening of a new West End musical which appears to have no connection with the two men. Its producers (and I hope you are ready for this) are Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J.Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella and Pelican Group in association with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner, with a small group of UK colleagues (one of whom might perhaps be Uncle Tom Cobley). The show is The Jersey Boys, telling the story of The Four Seasons pop group.
Listeners to Radio 4's Today programme will know all about it. In a prime-time slot on Monday morning, they were obliged to listen to a shameless five-minute plug for the production, which sounded as if it might have been made by the show's public relations company. It seemed pretty clear that the general tenor of the piece surprised the presenter John Humphrys. You could tell this from his voice when the 'report' ended and he turned once again to the day's proper news.
A week earlier, many Today listeners were surely surprised by a most un-Today-like interview with the pop singer Van Morrison (who is playing Oxford's New Theatre tonight). This was part of what can only be called a Van-fest over the past week or so on BBC radio. Highlights have included a long interview with Paul Jones on his Radio 2 blues programme, and a one-hour Saturday evening concert hosted by Johnnie Walker. The last time I recall such lavish plugging occurred when Pink Floyd had a new record out last year.
You will perhaps not be surprised to learn that Van the Man has a new release too.
4:19pm Wednesday 19th March 2008
Print 
Email this 
Comment
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
