And the winner is…who cares?

THE ORGANISERS of the Academy Awards are going to some lengths to lure stars to this year’s ceremony, which will take place on April 25th. To bypass travel restrictions, nominees and their guests have been designated “essential workers”. All attendees will be tested for covid at least three times. Zooming in is banned, so simultaneous mini-events are to be held in London and Paris for those who can’t make it to Los Angeles.

The bigger challenge may be persuading viewers to tune in from home. If other awards shows are a portent, the Oscars are in for a difficult night. Last month the Grammy music awards got just 9.3m viewers in America, less than half the number who watched last year. In September the Emmys, television’s equivalent, notched 6.4m, another record low.