Cliff Richard: New album reflects 'bad period' in life

Sir Cliff Richard is to release a new album which he says reflects the "bad period" he has been through.

The singer was awarded £210,000 in damages in July after the BBC breached his privacy with its reporting of a police raid at his home in 2014.

He was never arrested or charged during the police investigation.

The 77-year-old, who will release Rise Up on 23 November, said he spent two years of his life where he "couldn't sleep or think about anything".

He said: "I chose Rise Up as the title track because, after the bad period I went through in my life, I've managed to rise up out of what seemed like a quagmire."

"I love the lyric 'They're never gonna break me down, they're never gonna take me down, they know I'm gonna rise up feeling stronger'," he added.

"It is always great to sing lyrics you can feel and I really felt those words."

Sir Cliff took legal action against the BBC over broadcasts of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014.

It followed an allegation made by a man who claimed he was sexually assaulted as a child by Sir Cliff at an event at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium in 1985.

Sir Cliff announced the new 16-track album at London's Abbey Road Studio, where he recorded his debut single Move It, released exactly 60 years ago on 29 August 1958.

He said his longevity "should be considered a plus, not a drawback", adding that his new record could be "a revival for me".

The single Rise Up will be released in October along with the song Schoolboy Crush - the original B-side to Move It - to mark his 60th anniversary in the music industry.

The new album features a duet with Olivia Newton-John, who Sir Cliff previously worked with on the track Had To Be in 1995.

It also sees a reworking of some of his classic tracks, including Devil Woman and Miss You Nights, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.