Painting: 'Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini and the BBC' by Sean Bw Parker

'Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini and the BBC' by Sean Bw Parker

In 2014, South Yorkshire Police searched Sir Cliff Richard's (birth name Harry Webb) home due to a false historical sexual assault claim. The BBC filmed it from a helicopter and broadcast it live, naming him, with a text being sent between journalists: 'We've got another one'. The investigation was dropped, but the coverage devastated Cliff's reputation. He sued for breach of privacy, winning substantial damages in 2018, with the court ruling the BBC's naming of him was unlawful. DJ Paul Gambaccini was also falsely accused of sexual offences, named in the media, and faced severe reputational damage before the allegations were dropped. Along with former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor and DJ/presenter Dr Fox, Richard and Gambaccini campaigned with FAIR - Falsely Accused Individuals for Reform.

Listen to The Ballad of Harry Webb from 2025 album Dinosaur here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1ducNa4dtUAdMMlwUwUe7P?si=e4058ceee8c14aec. The original poem of the track is also featured in Panopticon, recently published by Close To The Bone Publishing.