Cliff to sue BBC for using TOTP f ilm of him with Savile
CLIFF Richard has threatened to sue the BBC for broadcasting archive footage of him with Jimmy Savile on Top Of The Pops.
The broadcaster used a clip from the show during a news report l ast week about the inquiry into Savile’s catalogue of sexual abuse at the BBC.
In the clip, the DJ can be heard saying Cliff ’s name. It was aired just after the reporter told of the ‘ missed opportunities to stop’ Savile.
After the broadcast, lawyers for the 75-year-old singer wrote to the BBC claiming it was defamatory.
An email, entitled ‘early legal warning’, said: ‘The libel complaint says the inclusion of archive footage of Jimmy Savile stating the words “Cliff Richard” is defamatory of Sir Cliff Richard, causing the viewer to believe that there were missed opportunities at the BBC to apprehend Cliff Richard for wrongdoing.’
The news item focused on Janet Smith’s extensive review into the ‘monstrous’ campaign of sex abuse by Savile and TV presenter Stuart Hall while working for the BBC.
But it used the clip mentioning Cliff even though Ms Smith’s report has nothing to do with the singer.
It is understood the complaint has prompted BBC bosses to warn staff not to use the film again.
The threat of legal action follows the controversy surrounding the 2014 police raid on Cliff ’s £2.5million Berkshire, southern England, home, which officers let the BBC film after hatching a secret deal.
At the time, Cliff ’s lawyers were considering suing the BBC for breach of privacy. A subsequent report concluded the BBC’s actions had caused the singer ‘unnecessary distress’.
Detectives have questioned the Summer Holiday singer twice over historical sex assault allegations and have spent almost two years trying to gather evidence.
However, South Yorkshire Police has still not sent its case file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide if the allegations against him are strong enough to press charges.
Cliff is understood to have pro- vided police with evidence that he was never alone with two of the men who allege he attacked them in the 1980s.
The musician, who completed a comeback tour to celebrate his 75th birthday last year, has denied the allegations.
The police are coming under increasing pressure to bring their inquiries to a conclusion, either by bringing charges against the star or by exonerating him.
The BBC declined to comment.