Granada TV says the interview, to be broadcast on ITV on Thursday evening, could open "new lines of inquiry" into the 1993 murder.

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But after watching a preview screening with the Lawrence family, Michael Mansfield, QC, said the programme was "irresponsible".

"It could affect the police inquiry adversely, because by the time the public know, so will the people who are the subject of the lines of inquiry," he said.

Family criticise

Mr Mansfield asked why, "if television was serious about ensuring a pursuit of the truth as opposed to publicity" the tapes were not handed over to police.

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Stephen's parents, Neville and Doreen Lawrence, also condemned the programme after the screening.

"These people have been given more than one occasion to say to the public whether or not they were involved in this murder and the last time was at the inquiry," said Neville Lawrence.

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"They chose to take us to the High Court to make sure we couldn't ask the obvious question."

The Lawrence family's solicitor, Imran Khan, said: "Some lines of inquiry have come forward and we want those lines of inquiry to be investigated immediately."

He added: "As a lawyer I would obviously have preferred the interviews to have taken place in a court of law and I'm sure Mr and Mrs Lawrence would have preferred that."

Direct questions asked

Three of the men - Luke Knight, Gary Dobson and Neil Acourt - have already faced trial for Stephen's murder and cannot be charged again. But technically Jamie Acourt and David Norris could still be prosecuted.

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The interview marks the first time the five have been directly asked in public about their alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of Stephen at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London.

The five refused to testify at the inquest, and avoided giving meaningful evidence at the official inquiry into Stephen's murder.

But Granada said the questioning by Martin Bashir, who interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales for BBC One's Panorama, revealed for the first time conflicts in the accounts of some of the five about how they spent the night of the murder.

Two of the suspects Neil Acourt and Gary Dobson said they heard of the killing on the night of Stephen's death.

However, Neil's brother Jamie, who was with the other two, insisted it was not until the next day that the news reached them.

Legal consultations

Another of the five, David Norris, revealed that he probably spent the night of the murder at his girlfriend's flat in Eltham, south London.

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That would put him much closer to the scene of the murder than if he had been staying at his parents' home in Chislehurst in Kent, as previously thought.

Scotland Yard refused to comment on the programme, although it is understood police have not viewed the tapes in advance of the broadcast.

The murder inquiry is continuing, and detectives are expected to ask Granada for copies of the interviews after the broadcast, including any footage which was not screened.

Frantic legal consultations continued during the day and a preview screening for the press due to have gone ahead at 1530 BST was cancelled suddenly.