Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, has claimed that the late pop star has a secret son.

When asked about rumours that Jackson was the father of Omer Bhatti, 25, following a one-night stand in Oslo in 1984, Joe replied: "Yes, I knew he had another son. Yes I did."

Then, with the sound of cash registers ringing in his ears and visions of a new Jackson family band appearing in front of his eyes, he added: "He looks like a Jackson. He acts like a Jackson. He can dance like a Jackson. This boy is a fantastic dancer."

However, Bhatti rather threw a spanner in the works last week when he told The Daily Mirror: “Michael is not my father. He and I were just very, very close. He was my best friend.”