Cliff Richard has said he felt guilty for suing the BBC over coverage of a raid at his home because it was like "suing Britain".

The singer felt he had to defend his reputation after he was accused of assaulting a teenage boy at a religious event.

The allegations came to light in the wake of the Jimmy Saville scandal. 

However, Richards was never charged with any wrongdoing. 

Despite this, he suffered blows in the court of public opinion after the BBC deployed helicopters to film live footage of police raiding the singer's Berkshire home. 

In 2018, a judge ruled that the BBC had infringed on the Richard's right to privacy, which outweighed the news outlets right to freedom of expression. 

He was awarded £210,000 in damages. 

The performer has reflected on the ordeal as part of Channel 4's new documentary, The Accused: National Treasures on Trial.

Reflecting on the investigation, he said: "You cannot stop thinking about it. Friends came [to Portugal] to visit and that was great, we laughed together, we played tennis together and then you go to bed. And then it all crowds back at you, 'How could someone do this?'

"I am feeling hate, a violent hate towards him, what I'd do with him if I ever saw him, and I thought I can't live like this . . . I seem to remember one headline that really bothered me and it just simply said: 'Sir Cliff molests under-age boy'. Not allegedly. It's a lie. I didn't do that to a young boy."