The BBC has formally apologised to Cliff Richard for the "distress" caused by reporting the investigation into historical sex abuse claims made against him.
However, the British media corporation said it "applied normal editorial judgments" to covering the story and stands by its decision to report the investigation undertaken by the South Yorkshire Police, which included airing the raid on his Berkshire home live on television.
The statement read: "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.
"The BBC's responsibility is to report fully stories that are in the public interest. Police investigations into prominent figures in public life are, of course, squarely in the public interest, which is why they have been reported by all news organisations in this country.
"Once the South Yorkshire Police had confirmed the investigation and Sir Cliff Richard's identity and informed the BBC of the timing and details of the search of his property, it would neither have been editorially responsible nor in the public interest to choose not to report fully the investigation into Sir Cliff Richard because of his public profile.
"The BBC, at every stage, reported Sir Cliff's full denial of the allegations. The BBC, therefore, stands by the decision to report the investigation undertaken by the South Yorkshire Police and the search of his property."
Richard said he thought he "was going to die" during the controversial investigation by South Yorkshire Police into the historical sex abuse allegations.
Last week, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said there was "insufficient evidence to prosecute" the 75-year-old singer after his home was raided by police in August 2014 and the entire operation was covered live on BBC News.
Richard has always maintained his innocence and in an interview with British newspaper the Daily Mail said he felt he had been used as "live bait".
Richard's UK penthouse was raided in August 2014
The star revealed he is undergoing tests to determine if he has suffered lasting damage from the stress of the two-year investigation.
Richard was at his property in Portugal when he received a call telling him that police had a warrant to search his home in Berkshire. He said he did not know what he had been accused of until he saw the coverage on BBC News.
"That was my introduction to what they were doing and how it looked on the screen," he told the paper. "It was really terrifying, really horrible, and of course that's when I discovered what I was supposedly accused of."
With the media camped outside his home, Richard collapsed in his kitchen the following day.
"I didn't know how I could face the future or face my friends or face my family. I was in tears, I have to admit," he said.
"Somebody got me to my feet and said: 'You've got to stand up, you are not guilty, hold your head up, you can do it'."
Photo: Press Association
The veteran entertainer had previously called on the BBC to apologise for its "shameful" treatment of him. "No one should have to go through what I did," he said.
