ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER - LLOYD WEBBER HITS BACK AT SPACEY

LATEST: Theatre mogul SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER has hit back at actor KEVIN SPACEY after the Hollywood star criticised the BBC for airing West End TV talent contests.
Spacey accused the broadcaster of putting people off going to the theatre, by screening shows such as How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria and I'll Do Anything - which give members of the public the chance to win lead roles in musicals such as The Sound of Music and Oliver.
The American Beauty star - who now runs London's Old Vic Theatre - also complained these musicals were given an unfair advantage over other plays because the TV shows turned into massive marketing campaigns.
But Lloyd Webber, who is a judge on both programmes, insists Spacey is wrong to criticise, because the TV shows are giving vital funding to West End productions that would not otherwise make it to the stage.
He says, "When I went to the BBC with the idea of doing The Sound of Music, firstly it wasn't my musical, and, secondly, to do the show we needed to have a GBP4 million ($8 million) production which we were going to take a huge risk over.
"At the end of the day all I can do is try to convey my passion for musical theatre in the best way I can. I don't need to do be on TV on a Saturday night - I do it because I love helping these performers."