In August 2014, BBC television broadcast live footage of a raid by South Yorkshire police on the home of a 73-year old man in Berkshire. The home belonged to the singer Cliff Richard.
The footage was especially dramatic – there were obviously two cameras,
one at the front of the house filming police officers as they entered,
another on a helicopter hovering above the house, showing images of
officers moving through the premises.
The raid had a legitimate purpose: the police were
seeking evidence to corroborate allegations of child sexual abuse made
against Richard. But Richard had not yet been questioned about those
allegations. And it was obvious to anyone watching that the police had
tipped off the BBC. It is just about plausible that the TV station had
somehow got lucky with its camera at the front of the house. But the
aerial shots told everyone watching that the BBC had time to hire a
helicopter. As later investigations revealed, the BBC had in fact been
told of the raid the previous evening.