Billie - Why She Wouldn't Play Ball
BILLIE PIPER backed out of a performance at an Oxford college ball last term - only moments before she was due to go on stage. The 18-year old singer was the much publicised headline act at the ball, jointly held by St. John's and St. Anne's. She arrived late for her set, but the plug was pulled on the performance over fears about the pop star's safety.
A spokesman for Billie's PR company explained: "She arrived at 3 in the morning, by which time the crowd were all 'well lubricated'. The stage was only about a foot and a half off the ground, and this combination meant that there was a definite risk to all concerned."
He pointed out that the decision wasn't made by Billie herself: "Billie's security manager raised the issue, and the ball security agreed."
But both the Wamdue Project, Phats and Small, and other acts had performed on the stage previously, and none of them encountered any problems from the crowd.
Billie's spokesman described the decision as: "a tough call to make. He added: "you have to rely on the people on the ground for these things." Whatever her reasons, Billie certainly hasn't made any friends in Oxford.
"It was just dreadful," said one attendee from Lincoln College. "I spent £75 on a ticket, the drinks ran out at midnight, and Billie didn't even show. But the worst thing was that we were told at 1.30, half an hour after she was due to play, that Billie was definitely on her way, only to be told at 3 that she wouldn't perform."
He described the whole facade as "a total waste of time".
5th Oct 2000