It's all in the game

The last we heard of Sir Cliff v The South Yorkshire Police and BBC, it couldn't have been more emphatic. A BBC spokesman said on December 7 "We have now submitted our response to this claim and will defend ourselves vigorously." And. we noted, the BBC had hired top brief Sir Gavin Millar.

Two months on, it is rumoured that Sir Gav may not get a chance to make the BBC's case that there was nothing untoward about their coverage of the police raid on Sir Cliff's Sunningdale flat. Sniffs of a settlement are in the air; Lord Hall, even with the new Charter banked, is worried about the impact of a court hearing; and Sir Cliff's legal team are relaxed and not corralling witnesses at this stage. Sir Cliff is on his regular New Year break in Barbados.