Bashir's rise to star journalist

Mr Bashir made his reputation on the BBC's Panorama programme

Journalist Martin Bashir has grown almost as famous as the celebrities he has interviewed. Now he is under the spotlight after being called to testify at the trial of Michael Jackson.

The prosecution wants to hear from Mr Bashir because it was his ITV1 documentary Living With Michael Jackson that sparked the case.

Following the documentary, he was poached by US network ABC to work on its 20/20 news show.

Although a journalist of nearly 20 years standing, it was his 1995 interview with the Princess of Wales for the BBC's Panorama programme that brought him to worldwide prominence.

The princess spoke candidly about her battle with bulimia, her affair with James Hewitt and the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles which led to their divorce in 1996.

It was during this documentary that she uttered the now famous line "there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded", referring to the prince's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Award-winning

The programme was watched by more than 22 million viewers in the UK alone, and worldwide interest in the royals ensured it was given a much wider audience.

Mr Bashir interviewed British au pair Louise Woodward

Such was its impact that it won a Bafta TV award and Mr Bashir was named Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year in 1996.

Another of his big Panorama interviews was with Louise Woodward, the British au pair convicted of the manslaughter of a baby she was looking after in the US.

The interview was conducted after she was released from a US prison after her sentence was reduced from murder to manslaughter.

Following the interview, in which she claimed she had been made to pay for the death of Matthew Eappen, she was criticised for cashing in on her infamy.

As the steady stream of high-profile guests continued, Mr Bashir's fame rose.

In 1999, he joined ITV in what was reportedly a big money deal to work on its Tonight programme, hosted by Trevor McDonald

During his time he worked on a number of high profile interviews including the five men suspected of killing London teenager Stephen Lawrence; disgraced Tory peer Lord Archer; Norfolk farmer Tony Martin, who was jailed for killing a burglar; and former footballer George Best.

Watchdog's rebuke

But his investigation into a child prodigy was rapped by a broadcasting watchdog after the father of a 15-year-old girl who had run away complained that Mr Bashir had effectively forced him into giving an interview.

Farooq Yusof alleged Mr Bashir offered him information on the whereabouts of his daughter in exchange for an interview, which earned the reporter a rebuke from the UK's Broadcasting Standards Commision.

But it was his exclusive interview with Michael Jackson, in which he was allowed to trail the eccentric pop star, for eight months that put him on the map.

Viewers were treated to the sight of Mr Jackson spending $6m (£3.6m) during a short shopping trip in Las Vegas.

Mr Bashir's interview with Princess Diana was watched by 22.8m

When quizzed about plastic surgery, Mr Jackson said he had only undergone two operations.

Defence witness

It was during the documentary that allegations about Mr Jackson's relationship with children began to be questioned. The programme sparked outrage when it was shown around the world.

In the wake of the furore, Mr Jackson hit back with his own documentary taken from his own footage of when he was interviewed by Mr Bashir.

He accused Mr Bashir of betraying him and falsely editing interviews with him.

The documentaries divided the US and controversy has dogged Mr Jackson since.

A judge in his trial in Santa Maria has ruled that Mr Bashir's documentary can be shown to the jury, despite strenuous objections from the defence, which claims it was selectively edited.

Mr Bashir unsuccessfully tried to stop the subpoena against him to testify.