He will be the target of countless diatribes from Hollywood’s liberal stars as the world watches the Academy Awards tonight.

But in a sublime irony, their nemesis Donald Trump may turn out to be the saviour of the Oscars.

TV ratings for the 2016 awards slumped to an eight-year low, with audiences left cold by the highbrow choices of an Academy that shunned the most popular films.

The saviour? Donald Trumps unpopularity among Hollywood stars could revive the interest in the Oscars

Now it seems the expectation of savage political protests against the Republican President by the stars will give the ratings a huge boost.

The network broadcasting the awards, ABC, has raised its advertising rates to £1.6 million for a 30-second slot – up by £400,000 from last year.

An incredible 200 million more viewers around the globe are set to tune into the ceremony than the one billion who watched last year.

Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep harangued Trump at length just weeks ago at the Golden Globes. But she is set to be just one among a chorus of A-listers voicing their enmity towards Trump.

British actor David Harewood, who starred in The Night Manager, said: ‘Any attempt to bash Trump is good.’

A senior Academy member told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The collective hatred of Trump and the idea that some of the biggest stars are going to melt down on primetime television should be cat-nip for viewers.

'People normally tune in to look at the dresses. This year they want protests and drama.’

Meryl Streep berated Trump in a Golden Globes award acceptance speech in January and Academy members say actors could use the Oscars to launch similar diatribes

Workers on the red carpet during preparations for the 89th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, USA, 25 February 2017

But Scottish filmmaker David Mackenzie, who directed Hell Or High Water which is up for four awards, said: ‘There’s a lot of politicising going on. I hope the message doesn’t get diluted by too much babble.’

Last night, LA Police said ‘multiple’ groups had applied to hold protests outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the venue for the 89th Academy Awards. However, Trump’s supporters have vowed to fight back.

Dan Webber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens, said: ‘More than 60 million Americans voted for Trump. They are tired of being demeaned and mocked by celebrities.

If Hollywood continues its vicious, bigoted hate speech against those who hold different political views then we don’t have to watch their films.’