Michael Jackson defended sharing a bed with unrelated children in controversial interview

Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

Michael Jackson's controversial comments about sharing a bed with unrelated children have resurfaced ahead of a new documentary looking into the singer's life.

The King of Pop's career and legacy have been largely overshadowed by numerous allegations of child abuse. Dating back to 1993, the 'Beat It' singer has been accused of grooming, molesting, and sharing a bed with numerous young boys.

Back in 1993, the singer settled one civil case out of court and was later acquitted of all charges in 2005 in his infamous criminal trial.

These allegations will now be revisited once again in a new documentary for Channel 4, titled Michael Jackson: The Trial.

Jackson would infamously defend claims about sharing a bed with children unrelated to him (ITV)

The four-part series will revisit the 2005 trial and Jackson's wider relationship with fame, including previously unheard audio recordings.

Jackson had been accused of giving teenager Gavin Arvizo alcohol, showing him pornography and molesting him at the Neverland Estate.

Renewed interest in Jackson's life and career has also seen numerous clips from his other documentaries appear, including controversial comments during a 2003 interview with Martin Bashir for his documentary Living with Michael Jackson.

In the clip, Bashir grills Jackson over claims that he has shared a bed with children who are not related to him, following claims made to him by Gavin.

Jackson appeared to confirm that Gavin had shared his bedroom while staying at Neverland, before branding adults who would find such news concerning as 'ignorant'.

"That's a beautiful thing," Jackson told Bashir, after being asked if it was appropriate for an adult man to share a bed with children who weren't related to him.

He then goes on to claim that while he hadn't slept in the bed at the same time as Gavin, he had shared a bed with other children – including brothers Macaulay and Kieran Culkin.

The claims were made during a 2003 documentary with Martin Bashir (ITV)

"We'd all just jam into the bed," he said. "Then we'd wake up at dawn and go in the hot air balloon."

Pressed further on why some people would find such revelations disturbing or upsetting, Jackson insisted that his actions were not sexual.

"When you say 'bed', you're thinking sexual," he told Bashir. "It's not sexual, we're going to sleep. I tuck them in... I give them hot milk and cookies.

"It's very charming, it's very sweet."

The documentary would go on to receive intense backlash from Jackson after it aired, with the singer later releasing his own programme, The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See, as a rebuttal to Bashir's film.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.