Martin Bashir, the television interviewer and producer, has been ordered to testify at the trial of Michael Jackson on child abuse charges.

Bashir spent eight months in Jackson's entourage while he was making the documentary Living With Michael Jackson, first shown in February 2003, in which the troubled pop star admitted that he loved to sleep with young boys in his bed.

Jackson, 46, is facing charges of molesting a boy, conspiracy and administering alcohol to his alleged victim at his Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara County. He has pleaded not guilty.

Jury selection for his California trial is due to start on January 31, and Bashir has been ordered to appear on March 1.

During filming, Bashir discovered that children were sleeping over at Jackson's Neverland ranch, "sometimes in his house, sometimes in his bedroom."

One 12-year-old boy told Bashir that he slept in the singer's bed. Jackson said he had slept on the floor that night, feeling he was "four" not 44. "I see God in the face of children," Jackson said. "And man, I just love being around them all the time."

The star admitted that he had encouraged a 12-year-old cancer sufferer to sleep in his bedroom.

"It's what the whole world should do," Jackson told Bashir. Both Jackson and the boy claimed that no sexual contact occurred during the sleepovers.

Bashir made his name conducting an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, in which she openly claimed that Camilla Parker-Bowles was the third person in her marriage to Prince Charles, and said that she wished to be known as the Queen of Hearts.

In a separate development, the prosecutors in Mr Jackson's trial will this afternoon argue to be allowed to bring up other, previous allegations of sexual offences against children by the singer.

Defence lawyers have described the further claims as "inherently incredible", and applied for arguments about them to be heard in closed court without the presence of the press. A coalition of news organisations is opposing the closure.

The prosecution motion said for the jury, not the judge, to decide the credibility of the new claims.

"Merely labelling the proposed testimony of an adverse witness as ’incredible’ doesn’t make it so," the motion said.

Ten years ago, the parents of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler accused Jackson of sexually molesting their son during overnight stays at his 3,000-acre ranch. After reaching a multimillion-dollar settlement with Jackson, the family dropped the case and no charges were brought against the pop star.

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