Andrew Lloyd Webber is offering the Government free use of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, or the London Palladium if it wants to pursue his idea for a “plumbers’ Oscars”.
In a Lords debate last week, the Tory peer suggested that the Government could encourage vocational training by holding an Oscars-style awards ceremony.
“I stress that the idea is not formed in any detail,” he said, “but why does the Government not support an awards ceremony that recognises exceptional achievement by young people in industry in its widest sense, whether it be craftsmen, plumbers, technicians, you name it? I believe the awards would receive national TV coverage, generate sponsorship and provide recognition of trades vital to the country but which do not get shouted about.”
He said he would be “delighted” to offer Drury Lane or the Palladium as the venue for the awards “if the idea has any merit or appeals to anyone”.
Given that the cost of such a venue would normally end with several noughts, the project is surely already feasible. Come on, London: is there anyone out there who wants to make this idea happen?
