Sir Cliff Richard has admitted he was nearly too patriotic to sue the BBC after they filmed a police raid on his home as it was like ‘suing Britain’.
Despite feeling bad about suing the national broadcaster, the 81-year-old singer’s need to fight allegations he abused a boy in the 1980s won out.
‘I felt bad about it, I said to the lawyers, how can I sue the BBC? It’s like suing Britain,’ he says.
‘But I thought to myself, these people need to learn that I’m serious about this, this was a very serious, nasty, harmful thing said about me.’
He has also revealed he prayed each night for the truth to be known as he fought the claims of abuse.
Sir Cliff Richard flanked by Paul Gambaccini (right) and Daniel Janner QC after his giving evidence in a parliament select committee
Sir Cliff Richard arrives at The High Court at the Rolls building for his lawsuit against the BBC in 2018
Sir Cliff speaks about his two-year ordeal in a Channel 4 documentary at 9pm tonight which also features radio presenters Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox, who similarly faced historical 𝑠e𝑥 abuse accusations.
He told documentary The Accused: National Treasures On Trial: ‘I prayed every night. You cannot stop thinking about it… how could someone [his accuser] do this?’
He took legal action against the BBC and South Yorkshire Police. He says it cost him £5million but he got only about half back.
Sir Cliff also described the physical impact he felt from the ‘stress’ of the investigation.
BBC coverage of the police raid from outside Sir Cliff Richard’s home in Sunningdale back in August 2014
He said: ‘I came out in shingles all over my head. Fortunately, a local doctor in Portugal diagnosed it.
‘After about the third visit he said it’s coming down your forehead, you don’t want to get it in your eyes because it can blind you.
‘I said, ‘How do you get shingles?’ He just looked at me, gave a little tiny smile and said, ‘stress’.’
The Accused: National Treasures on Trial airs tonight, Wednesday August 24, at 9pm on Channel 4 & All 4.