Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan did not hold back as he spoke to The Gazette after it was revealed the resort will host the 2009 Royal Variety Performance.

The former-tabloid newspaper editor was referring to the auditions for the 2008 show when he famously said Blackpool had no talent after watching hundreds of hopeful acts in the theatre.

This year's Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity are the first act to be confirmed to take the stage at the Opera House.

And judging by the amazing talent to have performed at the Royal Variety over the last few years, Blackpool is in line for one hell of a show on December 7.

International stars such as Rihanna, Bon Jovi and the cast of hit musical Hairspray have wowed the audiences in London, Liverpool and Cardiff.

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Until Birmingham, in 1999, the Royal Variety Performance, or the Royal Command Performance to give it its former name, had only been held outside of the capital once – in Blackpool in 1955.

And since Edinburgh in 2003 it has alternated between London and a provincial location on a bi-annual basis.

And the talent has not dipped when the show has headed away from the capital. In Cardiff in 2005 the line-up was headed by Katherine Jenkins, Dame Shirley Bassey, Ozzy Osbourne and Sir Cliff Richard.

In Liverpool two years later Enrique Iglesias, James Blunt, the cast of Hairspray, Kanye West, Russell Brand and Bon Jovi were among the headline names.

And last year at the London Palladium Pussycat Dolls, Duffy, Jimmy Carr, Leona Lewis, Rihanna, Peter Kay and Take That headed the bill.

While this year's line-up is still under wraps – apart from Diversity that is – it has not stopped speculation already being sparked.

Recent Brit Award winners, The Pet Shop Boys – one half of who are from Blackpool – are already being talked about as is Blackpool's very own West End star Jodie Prenger.

As ever, the producers always seem to pull a massive name out of the hat, so how about Sir Paul McCartney or a Bruce Springsteen?

Britain's Got Talent's best looking judge Amanda Holden has given her support to the Royal Variety's Show's Blackpool trip.

"Blackpool very much deserves a show of this importance because it is, after all, the light entertainment capital of the country," she said.
It is not known whether she will be attending the show herself.

For much more on the news, pick up a copy of Thursday's Gazette.