Chat show queens chase McCanns

American chat show queens Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey are locked in a battle to secure an interview with Gerry and Kate McCann, who were formally cleared today of any involvement in the disappearance of their daughter Madeline by the Portuguese police (they only became arguidos - formal suspects - because of iffy forensic reports, it is argued).

According to reports in the US newspapers, Winfrey and Walters have each pledged £1 million in an attempt to get the couple in front of the TV cameras. However, it looks like the McCanns will not be persuaded. Says the couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell: "We are not in the market for selling Kate and Gerry’s story to the highest bidder. And we are not impressed by big names. We talk to media from all over the world." ·