Yes, there was life before the National Lottery, which was launched in the autumn of 1994. That spring, the contract to run the lottery was awarded to a consortium named Camelot. From the point of view of a comedy lyricist like me, the rest was history.
_ WIN A LOT _
(To the Tune of “Camelot”)
VERSE 1
Large lotteries were banned a while ago here,
To stop us betting everything we’ve got;
But now there’s mega-profits that could flow here,
From Camelot.VERSE 2
Accounting firms who framed the deal made packets,
Consultancies have earned an awful lot;
Solicitors have got in on the racket,
They planned a lot.MIDDLE EIGHT 1
BRANSON:Damn the lot, Camelot,
Now Branson’s turned a shade of green;
Camelot, Ham a lot,
The spectacle’s obscene.VERSE 3
The razzmatazz is certain to delight us,
Huge prizes paid by Wogan on the spot;
More likely Necrotising Faciitis,
Than win a lot.MIDDLE EIGHT 2
Win a lot, win a lot?
This country’s going to the dogs;
Gamble lots, Camelot,
Like Irish, Greeks and Frogs.OUTRO
They say they’ll donate loads to worthy causes,
And half the take in prizes reappears;
But they won’t have forgot, the most auspicious lot,
By far the biggest winner of the year is Camelot.
Below is a video of the lyrics to Camelot, sung by Richard Burton:
If you prefer, you can hear and see Richard Harris (no relation, despite his familiar tendency to speak notes rather than sing them once they go out of range) perform the song Camelot in the movie: