BBC halts book plans

The BBC has halted publication of an autobiography by Michael Barrymore.

The move comes after widespread criticism of the plan to spend about £500,000 on the book, which was to have included a chapter on the death of Stuart Lubbock, whose body was discovered in a swimming pool at the entertainer's house.

The decision - officially to postpone the book - came after director general Greg Dyke phoned Rupert Gavin, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.

Prior to the decision the BBC was standing by its right to publish the book, saying it was commissioned years before the unexplained death of Mr Lubbock. A BBC spokesman confirmed Mr Dyke had spoken to Mr Gavin but denied the director general had applied pressure over the book.

Earlier a BBC spokesman said: "BBC Worldwide will review the calls to publish Michael Barrymore's autobiography, Running Away From Myself. The review will take place this week as soon as Rupert Gavin, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, has returned from the USA where he is on business."

Yesterday a spokesman defended the BBC's plans to publish the book, due out next month, which he said had not been paid for with money from licence fees. He said: "Ultimately Barrymore is still a popular public entertainer. There will be a big call for his story."

But executives at BBC Worldwide who commissioned the book in September 2000 are understood to have been stunned by the level of criticism. They were accused of cynicism and hypocrisy in seeking to profit from Mr Lubbock's death by publishing the book so soon after Barrymore refused to answer questions at the inquest.

Despite promising that the book would contain nothing the coroner had not already heard, a spokesman for BBC Worldwide said yesterday it would tell the full story. He said: "No one would wish to cause any more distress but the decision to include (Barrymore's version of the night of Mr Lubbock's death) in the book hasn't been taken lightly by him or the publisher. If he's going to tell his story, it's got to be warts and all."

However, Barrymore's solicitor David Corker said today: "I've seen the chapter in this book dealing with this tragedy. There's nothing which Mr Barrymore has not already told the police in a lengthy witness statement."

The BBC said today: " BBC Worldwide today announced that it will postpone indefinitely publication of Michael Barrymore's autobiography.

"The decision was taken this morning by BBC Worldwide's Chief Executive Rupert Gavin in consultation with BBC Director General Greg Dyke. BBC Worldwide acquired the rights to the book two years ago as part of their strand of publishing celebrity autobiographies. An advance was paid to Mr Barrymore at the time.

"A decision about whether the book will ever be published will be taken at a stage when reported legal issues, including those surrounding the inquest in to the death of Stuart Lubbock, have been clarified."