BBC News Online: World: Europe

007 composer wins libel action

A bitter row over who composed the famous theme song for the James Bond films has been settled after a libel action in the High Court in London.

The court awarded composer Monty Norman forty-five-thousand dollars in damages against the Sunday Times newspaper, over an article it published attributing the music to another composer, John Barry.

Mr Norman complained the article -- headlined 'Theme tune wrangle has 007 shaken and stirred' -- had rubbished his whole career.

It's estimated that the case, during which Mr Norman sang his tune in court, will also cost the Sunday Times some three-quarters of a million dollars in legal expenses.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service