Cliff Richard is on the road again

After clearing his name following that controversial police raid, Cliff Richard is glad to be back focusing on his music. He’s also glad to count Daniel O’Donnell among his friends, writes Shilpa Ganatra

IN HIS six decades as the housewife’s heart throb, Cliff Richard has seen it all. At the same time as shaping popular culture, with classics like ‘Summer Holiday’ and ‘Congratulations’, he’s seen it change with rise of satellite TV and later the internet (popularised 40 years after his first single); he’s seen Michael Jackson and The Beatles come and go; most recently he’s experienced the unwieldy power of the media with the police raid on his house. But nothing’s managed to stop him in his tracks.

“We were written off as one hit wonders,” he smiles, remembering the start of his career, with backing band The Shadows. “‘Here today and gone tomorrow’: we read that about ourselves and we thought, maybe it’s true. Then 10 years went by and we made our 10th anniversary album. That’s when I thought, maybe there’s something in this, maybe I can keep going.”