Whitbread celebs oust ‘real critics’. The Booker Prize and the Whitbread Prize are apparently in a war of words over the latter’s growing inclusion of celebrities, as oppposed to literary types, on its judges’ panel. Maximizing the TV audience for the awards ceremonies, which are broadcast live, seems to be a preoccupation. The Whitbread emphasizes that it “is not a literary prize in any
way. It is about good books that are
enjoyed. These judges provide a very
useful ordinary perspective”. The Guardian