Townshend said he was "honoured" to be asked to deliver the address, adding that the former BBC Radio 1 DJ had introduced him to bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Undertones before they had signed record deals. "John didn't just listen to music, he played it on air and let his audience decide," the 66-year-old guitarist said. In his lecture, Townshend will pose the question: "Can John Peelism survive the internet?"
A BBC statement said his lecture would ask: "In an age of free downloads and a disposable attitude to music, can creative people earn a living, and without radio, how can the 'unpolished' music that John Peel championed find an audience?"
Long Runner - One of the world's longest-running religious TV series Songs Of Praise has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Sunday's episode on BBC One was the 2,248th edition of the show, and featured performances from LeAnn Rimes and Andrea Bocelli. The first show was broadcast in October 1961 from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff.
BBC director general Mark Thompson said, "Fifty years is an incredible milestone for any TV or radio programme to be that indispensable, that loveable, that inspiring, for so long - it's a real testimony to just how warm and engaging Songs Of Praise is."
Harrison Tribute - The surviving Beatles paid tribute to George Harrison at the London premiere of Martin Scorsese's new documentary about his life. The documentary, George Harrison: Living In The Material World, will receive a limited cinematic release, before being shown on the BBC in the UK and on HBO in the US. It is split into two parts - first chronicling the Beatles' rise to fame, then documenting the solo years, when Harrison juggled music with philanthropic work and a career as a movie impresario.
Off Broadway - The musical Billy Elliot is to close on the New York stage next year, three years after it began its Broadway run. The last performance of the show, which successfully transferred from London's West End, will be on 8 January. With music written by Sir Elton John, the production has been seen by an estimated 1.65 million people in New York and won 10 Tony Awards in 2009. Its tour across the US is due to continue, while the London stage version will remain open.
(Jim Evans)
