Burrell heading for the stage

Paul Burrell the former royal butler who has fashioned a new career on the strength of his reputation as Princess Diana's 'rock', is moving in a new direction - the West End stage.

A producer, who uses an office service in London's Berkeley Square, has contacted one of London's major theatre owners - the Ambassador Theatre Group - to check availability for a one-man show called . . . An Evening With Paul Burrell.

It seems that Burrell is prepared to offer up a 'production' in which he would give a scripted talk about his life in royal service, particularly his fabled limpetlike relationship with the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

The producer, Ian Osbourne, who runs two outfits he calls Discreet Theatre and Definitive Theatre, had been hoping to use the Albery Theatre once See You Next Tuesday ends its run.

However, he was told the theatre was unavailable because Michael Gambon, Lee Evans and veteran actress Liz Smith will open there in March in director Matthew Warchus's staging of Samuel Beckett's Endgame.

However, Mr Osbourne has been to see other theatre groups to peddle the show, starring the frog-eyed Burrell. It has not been determined yet whether the production will be given a home in London.

When I mentioned the Burrell proposal to a bigtime producer in London, he exploded.

'My God, the West End's become devalued. There are so many low-rent productions. It's like Scunthorpe,' he told me.

I mentioned the Scunthorpe line to another occupant of theatreland, and he sniffed: 'Actually, I rather like Scunthorpe.'

The idea of an evening with Paul Burrell fills me with absolute horror.

But, unfortunately, I suspect it would be a sell-out - not because it would be good theatre, but because people would pay good money in the hopes that the former butler might reveal something sensational.

MR OSBOURNE did not return my calls, while a spokesman for the Ambassador Theatre Group told me: 'Yes, we have been approached by the producers of An Evening With Paul Burrell, but we couldn't provide them with a theatre because there isn't one available.'