THE Who's Pete Townshend has written a sequel to his hit musical Tommy almost 30 years since the original took the rock world by storm, it was reported today.

Rehearsals have already begun on Lifehouse, which will be premiered in December on BBC Radio 3, says The Independent.

Begun in 1971, Lifehouse is said to be about "a vast global network" not unlike the Internet.

The basic storyline, says the newspaper, addresses the spiritual consequences of a move away from a physical world to digital networking and the power of music.

Kate Rowland, head of BBC radio drama, says: "I feel sure that Lifehouse will be greeted as a contemporary classic.

"It's extraordinary when you think about what Townshend was writing in 1971. It was like he was projecting ahead.

"He didn't use the words net or web. He called it 'grid.' But he was hitting the nail almost right on the head.","notes":"No author byline provided. Title 'THAT'S showbiz' appears to be a section header rather than the article's title. The headline 'Townshend writes sequel to Tommy' is used as the normalized title.","has_unclear":false}]}]}]}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]}}]}]}]}]}]}}]}]}]