Tycoon Robert Tchenguiz set to sue BBC for ‘playboy’ documentary

Troubled tycoon Robert Tchenguiz on Monday declared he was considering taking legal action against the BBC over tonight’s documentary The Rise and Fall of the Playboy Billionaire.

Tchenguiz, currently fighting a legal battle that could result in him losing his Knightsbridge mansion, said he had co-operated with the filmmakers in the belief that the programme would be an investigation into the legal actions which he is entangled in.

However, the former billionaire — as famous for his colourful personal life as his business dealings — said he was shocked when a preview clip featured salacious details about his domestic arrangements.

Currently, his estranged wife Heather Bird and their children live with him and his girlfriend, Julia Dybowska, in his vast home by the Royal Albert Hall.

“This was meant to be an investigation show about how the legal system let me down; what happens when somebody is wrongfully arrested,” he said. “Not about my girlfriend, my sister, the dinners we have and all that. I let the BBC into my house and this is what they do to me... honestly, it feels like everyone who seems to be an ally ends up being a foe.”

Tchenguiz is fighting a legal battle against Grant Thornton and partners at the firm who he claims misled the Serious Fraud Office into investigating him and his brother Vincent. The SFO ended up apologising for its actions but Robert Tchenguiz and GT are still locked in litigation which will come to trial in October.

He said he would consider legal action over the show once he has seen the full show. The BBC says it refutes all his claims and “robustly” stands by the film. It is on BBC2 at 9pm.