UK counting on Idol-style show to find the next Thatcher, Blair

LONDON: The BBC has acquired the option to develop a “Pop Idol”-like show aimed at finding Britain’s next Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher, The Times reported in its Friday edition.

The Next Great Leader, based on a format that has proved successful in Canada, features contestants aged 18 to 25 who submit a video-recorded speech that outlines their vision for making Britain a better place, and will feature former ministers and political commentators on the judging panel.

Through the course of the show, the number of “candidates” will be cut to four, who will face off against each other in a live US Presidential-style debate, with questions on economics, social policy, the environment and moral standards.

The show is expected to run during the next general election, due by May 2010 at the latest. “We have acquired the option on ‘The Next Great Leader’ for our in-house entertainment team to produce,” a BBC spokeswoman told the newspaper.

Michel Rodrigue, chief executive of the BBC’s independent producer, Distraction, told the paper: “’The Next Great Leader’ is the best example of reality prime time programming that not only entertains, but educates viewers to the challenges our leaders are facing, and the necessity to develop the leaders of the future.”

In the Canadian version of the programme, called The Next Great Prime Minister, the winner was awarded a cash prize of $50,000, and a six-month internship at a leading political body.