BBC chief refuses to apologise over Sir Cliff Richard raid coverage

Sir Cliff confirmed at the weekend that he planned to sue the BBC and South Yorkshire Police over live coverage of the raid at his home.

Read more: Sir Cliff Richard sues BBC and police over apartment raid coverage

Officers investigating allegations of historic sex offences were filmed searching Sir Cliff's apartment in Berkshire, leading to him being publicly named as part of the probe. The 75-year-old was never arrested or charged.

Lord Hall said: "Well, we've said two things publicly. On one hand, we've said Sir Cliff - who is a fabulous entertainer and has done great things for the BBC over very many years - we've said we're sorry for the stress he's been caused over the last couple of years.

"We've also said that the Home Affairs Select Committee reviewed - they had myself, James (Purnell) and others in front of them including South Yorkshire Police (SYP) - they reviewed our decisions and said we see nothing wrong in the BBC decision to run the story, and I think that's right.

"If the police are investigating a matter which is of public interest and concern then we should report that. And by the way, it's not just us, it's all our colleagues in broadcast media and newspapers as well. That's all I really want to say, yes, we have received a letter... and we will respond to that in due course".

When asked if there would be an apology to Sir Cliff, he said: "I've said what I said."

In June, the Crown Prosecution Service dismissed the case on grounds of insufficient evidence. Both the BBC and South Yorkshire Police have apologised to the singer.

Read more: Sir Cliff Richard sues BBC and police over apartment raid coverage

A statement from the BBC on June 21 said it "applied normal editorial judgments" to covering the story, but added: "The BBC is very sorry that Sir Cliff Richard, who has worked as a musician and performer for so many years with the organisation, has suffered distress."

Lord Hall said he was grateful to former Top Gear host Chris Evans for all the "work he put in" to the show.

The BBC boss said he agreed that Evans had "given the programme his very best".

Evans announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from hosting the popular motoring show after just one series.

He said he felt he "gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough", adding "the team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best".

Lord Hall said: "He decided to resign, he said he gave the programme his very best, I completely agree he absolutely did. It's no easy task to be launching a programme as important as Top Gear and I am really grateful to him, as is the whole of the BBC, for all the work he put in and his energy into that."

Following his departure, Evans praised his co-host, Friends actor Matt LeBlanc, calling him the "captain" the show needs.

"When you look at the team left behind, then I think you can see a team there that's going to take the programme on to great heights, so I'm very hopeful," Lord Hall said. "I'll say no more about that at the moment."

The post-Brexit political turmoil could have an impact on negotiations in the run-up to the new royal charter, Lord Hall admitted.

Read more: Sir Cliff Richard sues BBC and police over apartment raid coverage

He told reporters: "I won't say anything about the timetable because what I think we have all learnt over the last two-and-a-half weeks is, you start the day thinking one thing and then by lunchtime the world looks completely different."

The current 10-year royal charter will expire on December 31. The Government set out its plans for the new 11-year charter in a White Paper in May.

Lord Hall continued: "I think we've made a huge amount of progress on the charter, working with John Whittingdale and DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport), I'm hopeful that we can get that out as soon as we are able, but obviously with a new government being formed tomorrow and on Thursday and whenever, we'll just have to see."

He said negotiations so far had been "good, hard, tough, difficult", but added: "We've got to a place which I think is right and I think the Government thinks is right as a whole."

On the appointment of a new prime minister to replace David Cameron, he said: "I have no reason to think Theresa May won't think it's right."

Lord Hall said the BBC had demonstrated its distinctiveness over the past year and needed to be "upfront" about its achievements.

The idea that the corporation would need to show "distinctiveness" was central to the 2015 Green Paper on the future of the BBC, as well as the White Paper in May.

The director-general said: "I think what the Government has said, and what John Whittingdale has said, and what Ofcom is sort of saying, is you've got to define distinctiveness - and the best people to define distinctiveness are the people who are making distinctive programmes, namely the programme-makers, namely ourselves.

"And I have been, all the way through this process, since coming back to the BBC, a believer in the distinctive qualities that the BBC can bring ... when programme-makers, directors, actors, musicians, and others say 'Only the BBC could have done that', that's where I want to be able to demonstrate to the public that that's what we're doing more of.

"I think, if you look at the last year, it's not an idle boast.

"I'm not seeking to be complacent because I'm not, but actually what the programme-makers and the people who are running our services have done is to demonstrate the distinctiveness of the BBC across radio, across television.

"We need to do that in a very upfront way to people, but, in the end, when I think John Whittingdale and the Select Committee said, you know it when you're there. I think that's right."

BBC Trust chairwoman Rona Fairhead said the corporation was "actually on the right trajectory for distinctiveness".

She said audience appreciation figures and audience perception measures had shown an improvement.

"I think what we have seen is a relentless drive from the Trust supporting the director-general, who has been very clear that creativity and distinctiveness is at the heart of the BBC," she said.