Excerpt: The BBC has tonight (December 31st) denied pulling an interview in which Sir Paul McCartney apparently made "unsuitable" comments about Michael Jackson.

A BBC spokesman told Gigwise that only "the most relevant quotes" had been selected from a press conference last November "due to time constraints".

Extracts from the interview with the former Beatle were broadcast solely on BBC radio, the spokesman added.

A report in today's Daily Mail newspaper claimed the former Beatle had made a "trans-racial impression" of Jackson's voice when asked question about the singer.