Cliff and Radio 2

[MikeAB]

Sir Cliff seems to be getting more airplay than ever before these days - can't think why - but it's too late BBC.

[hoffers]

Yes, I was thinking that too.

[LONGPLAYER09]

Me to.

[Moderne]

Cliff is on Chris Evans' programme on Friday morning talking about his new album. I seem to remember Chris Evans once refused to play anything by Cliff on his programme..! I suppose Cliff is going along with it because it will boost sales of his record...but talk about supping with the devil! When you think of all the work Cliff has done for the BBC in his 58-year career...

[drakula63]

Cliff is on Chris Evans' programme on Friday morning talking about his new album. I seem to remember Chris Evans once refused to play anything by Cliff on his programme..! I suppose Cliff is going along with it because it will boost sales of his record...but talk about supping with the devil! When you think of all the work Cliff has done for the BBC in his 58-year career...

I think the important thing to remember about the BBC is that they are rather like a football team. No one playing for Spurs, for example, in 1963 would be playing for them today. The management at the BBC is COMPLETELY different in every possible respect to the people making the decisions when Cliff was heavily involved with the BBC all those years ago. There is a totally different mind-set in charge now and it doesn't take Sherlock Holmesian powers to see that they do things very differently to the old guard. I think it is probably fair to say that the powers that be (at the BBC) see Cliff very differently to, say, how they regard Billy Bragg, Paul McCartney, Bob Geldof or Sandy Toksvig. Of course there are still plenty of people at the BBC who respect Cliff and feel bad about what happened to him a couple of years ago - but I rather suspect that they are in the minority. I have no doubt that some very bad decisions were made regarding the police raid coverage and it has clearly soured relationships between the Beeb and Cliff. Having said that, once they admit that they were wrong and settle out of court I'm sure Cliff will forgive them! In the meantime, they'll try to smooth over the troubled waters by giving him a bit of airplay here and there. I am hoping that a 'Cliff @ the BBC' programme might be forthcoming as that would fit nicely into the BBC FOUR schedules.

As a P.S. I thought I'd just mention that I have written to Mark Cooper, Charlotte Moore and even Danny Baker suggesting a 'Shadows at the BBC' programme - I even supplied two different suggested track selections - but received not a whisper of a reply. A shame. Maybe any BBC employees reading this could gently dig them in the ribs and suggest it too?

I'm not a fan of Chris Evans, by the way, can't stand him, but I think I am right in saying that he has voiced some support of Cliff in recent times.

[Moderne]

Yes, I guess you're probably right, Chris. But I still think the BBC acted despicably: hearing the news of the raid on his flat was one of those awful 'you remember where you were when you heard about...' bits of news - and I'm not a huge Cliff fan! Do we know they're going to settle out of court and admit they were wrong? The last I heard, they were quite defiant. They even entered their coverage of the raid into some journalistic competition. I know that none of the people at the BBC now were around in the early days of Cliff's career, or even when he was making his Saturday night TV shows with Hank and Una Stubbs in the 70s - but he's been a regular 'personality' on BBC programmes such as Songs of Praise in much more recent times. I would have thought they would have adopted a slightly more "innocent until proved guilty" attitude when South Yorkshire police obligingly tipped them off that they were raiding his flat!

I think a 'Shadows at the BBC' and a 'Cliff at the BBC' programme would be great but think it's very doubtful that either would ever be commissioned: the Shadows one for the same reason that they never made a TV documentary about them 30-40 years ago, and the Cliff one because there are too many people who think he's irredeemably naff...

[MartcasterJunior]

Very well put Chris.

[MikeAB]

Today's Daily Mail.

''Sir Cliff Richard, 76, promotes his new album on The One Show tonight, on Chris Evans’s Radio 2 breakfast show tomorrow and on the BBC’s National Lottery show on Saturday.
Why such intense exposure at the corporation? Evans, 50, once refused to play Sir Cliff’s records, smashing some of them on air to amuse listeners.
Might it have to do with the fact that Sir Cliff is suing the BBC over its collusion with South Yorkshire Police during the controversial 2014 raid on his Berkshire home?''

[drakula63]

Today's Daily Mail.

''Sir Cliff Richard, 76, promotes his new album on The One Show tonight, on Chris Evans’s Radio 2 breakfast show tomorrow and on the BBC’s National Lottery show on Saturday.
Why such intense exposure at the corporation? Evans, 50, once refused to play Sir Cliff’s records, smashing some of them on air to amuse listeners.
Might it have to do with the fact that Sir Cliff is suing the BBC over its collusion with South Yorkshire Police during the controversial 2014 raid on his Berkshire home?''

...quite possibly. Which is why I wouldn't rule out a 'Cliff at the BBC' compilation programme before too long!

The BBC claims to be unbiased - in all respects - but it's pretty clear from even casual viewing that they are not. Let's face it, they've had a couple of bad days this year haven't they and it has been written all over the faces of their (impartial) news presenters!

I think they chose the wrong person when they decided to do the dirty on Cliff and I really think that this is becoming clear to them (and us).

I look forward to further developments as and when they happen. And I'm sure we can all rely upon the BBC to report them in a fair and unbiased way!!!

[flingelbunt]

Interestingly, the latest edition of 'Private Eye' picked up on the fact that the Beeb were giving airplay to Cliff's latest single and album and queried the possibility that with the prospect of Cliff's legal action imminent have maybe sought to soften the potential effect of the court case.
I for one think that they behaved reprehensibly in collusion with the South Yorks Police over the allegations. I would normally defend the BBC to the hilt; they come under extremely unfair attacks from rags such as the Daily Mail et al, but I do believe they need to be bought to book over this incident........ Rant over!....."Nurse, the screens!"
Incidentally, the new single features some superb guitar lead breaks!!

Lord Flingel of Buntshire