Granada is reportedly close to agreeing an out of court settlement with Michael Jackson over that Martin Bashir documentary. Word is the ITV company will pay an agreed sum to a charity of Jackson's choosing if he drops his planned lawsuit against the film.
As previously reported Jackson is angry that Bashir duped him into recording the show - an insight into Jacko's life. Jackson feels certain agreements between the reporter and the star were broken in the way the show was edited.
But Granada are keen to stress that in making the charity payment they are not accepting Jackon's claims. "We stand by Martin, the programme and the producers," a source told the Media Guardian yesterday. "We won't be making any apology or paying any damages or costs."