Michael Barrymore condemns ‘vile and vicious’ Channel 4 documentary The Body in the Pool

Comedian and presenter said he was left in ‘pain and agony’ after watching programme about the 2001 unsolved death at his home

Michael Barrymore has hit out at the Channel 4 documentary, The Body in the Pool, which revisited the unsolved death of Stuart Lubbock at his home two decades ago.

The comedian and TV presenter told Good Morning Britain that the programme, which aired last month, was “vile and vicious” and had caused him “pain and agony” to watch.

Father of two Lubbock was found dead in 2001 at the age of 31 at Barrymore’s Essex home in an apparent drowning, following a party at the residence.

An inquest in September 2002 revealed not only that Lubbock had traces of cocaine and ecstasy in his system but also that he had suffered severe internal injuries indicative of sexual assault.

Barrymore was once regarded as the king of British Saturday night light entertainment, and was known for hosting family-friendly ITV shows like Strike It Rich, My Kind of People and Kids Say the Funniest Things. But his career suffered after he was arrested in connection with Lubbock’s death. He was never charged and has always maintained his innocence.

Police have issued a fresh appeal in the case following the documentary’s broadcast, offering £20,000 to anyone who can share “new information”.

Barrymore appeared on Good Morning Britain accompanied by a solicitor, who described the documentary as “one-sided” and claimed that its creators had previously approached Barrymore about appearing in a programme celebrating his career, but that the angle had changed after he declined to take part.

Channel 4 has since defended the show in a statement, saying: "The documentary was balanced and explored Mr Barrymore and the Lubbock family’s treatment by the press.

"In accordance with the Ofcom Broadcasting code, Mr Barrymore was given a fair opportunity to respond to significant allegations and his position was fairly reflected in the documentary.

"Channel 4 looked at an earlier proposal for a documentary with Mr Barrymore’s participation, however after further research the programme was not commissioned.

"In 2018, Channel 4 commissioned an independent documentary based on the Leveson court case and in conjunction with the Lubbock family to re-examine what happened the night of Stuart’s death."