Lloyd Webber considers Profumo affair musical

The stage maestro said he found the story, one of the great scandals of the modern era, intriguing and may use it as the basis for his next production.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the episode which led to the downfall of the then Secretary of State for War, John Profumo.

The story of his affair with Christine Keeler was chronicled in the 1989 film Scandal.

It starred Joanne Whalley as Keeler, Sir Ian McKellen as Profumo and John Hurt as Stephen Ward, a society figure who introduced the pair at a party at Cliveden and had a central role in the tale.

He died as a result of an overdose of sleeping tablets, following a trial on charges of living off immoral earnings. Ward was found guilty but died before sentencing.

Lord Lloyd-Webber – soon to lead an ITV1 search for the star to lead the cast in a revival of Jesus Christ Superstar – said Ward’s story could form his next new musical.

He told Chris Evans on his Radio 2 breakfast show: “I’m looking for a subject at the moment and I think I’ve found one. You always have to go and try these things.

“Stephen Ward really intrigues me and was a fantastically interesting character. The most popular man in London who ended up with absolutely nobody after the trial and everything.

“I kind of think he was the fall guy.”