Sir Cliff Richard says he was nearly too patriotic sue BBC over filming of raid on his house

Sir Cliff Richard has revealed he prayed each night for the truth to be known as he fought claims he abused a boy in the 1980s.

The 81-year-old singer also admitted he felt bad about suing the BBC for filming a police raid on his house.

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.

Sir Cliff tells 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.

‘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.’

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

BBC coverage of the police raid from outside Sir Cliff Richard’s home in Sunningdale back in August 2014

Sir Cliff also described the physical impact he felt from the ‘stress’ of the investigation.

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 [Weds] at 9pm on Channel 4 & All 4