Christmas No 1 bid by Cliff in fightback from sex claim hell
SIR Cliff Richard plans to secure the number one slot this Christmas on the rebound from suffering allegations of sex abuse.
The legendary singer has just signed a deal with Sony Records for a comeback album and hopes to top the festive charts for the first time since “Saviour’s Day” in 1990.
A source close to the singer says Sir Cliff worked on new tracks “to escape the agony of false allegations” during an investigation as part of Operation Yewtree. The investigation was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
The BBC says “there is no reason” not to consider playing his new songs on the radio, despite the fact that the 75-year-old still intends to sue the corporation for £1million after it televised a police raid on his Sunningdale, Berkshire, home in 2014.
The source close to the singer said: “Cliff has made no secret of how unfairly he feels he’s been treated.
“The album is going to be the sort of rock ’n’ roll sound that made him famous but it’ll also be very personal. For Cliff, working on this record was a wonderful opportunity to escape the agony of false allegations.
“Writing and planning it was a cathartic experience.”
Sir Cliff revealed he broke down in tears after discovering the allegations against him.
The case was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service found insufficient evidence. After the CPS announcement, Sir Cliff said: “My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged.”
Last year, an independent investigation concluded that South Yorkshire Police should not have shared details of the raid with the BBC.
The force “interfered with the star’s privacy”, it said.
Sir Cliff said later that there “must have been illegal collusion” between the force and the public broadcaster when it showed the raid on TV while he was abroad.
He also believes that the BBC boycotted his music during the investigation.
The source said of Sir Cliff’s legal action: “The essence is that he does not want anyone who is innocent, like him, to go through what he has experienced.
“He is in the fortunate position of being able to try to do something about this and we hope the judge, in due course, will find that there has been an unlawful misuse of private information.”
A BBC spokesman said: “There is no reason why Cliff’s new material wouldn’t be considered.”