Ringo sings 'Liverpool, I left you.... but with a cool £90 grand in me back pocket, ta very much!"

RINGO pocketed £90,000 for headlining the start of Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008 - thanks to a blunder by Our Lord Redmond.

He decided not to give Ringo the £30,000 fee the ex-Beatle was originally asking for his two appearances in the city.

Redmond decided he would be dead clever like - and just pay Ringo's expenses instead.

"Oh, okay den," says Ringo, smiling quietly to himself.

"That's fair enough, I suppose, knowworramean?"

For some strange reason, Ringo then seems to have decided to make the most of his sojourn in the city of his birth - and bring along nine of his mates with him.

Ringo and his now substantial retinue - which included his band and general hangers-on - decided to fly business class across from LA.

Ker-ching!

Then they checked into the Hope Street hotel on the recommendation of Donald Bullshitter, who handled all the arrangements personally.

Ker-ching!!

Ringo's retinue then spent their time being ferried here and there in a fleet of gleaming limousines.

Ker-ching!!!

Their daily living expenses, which included food and drinks, were all met by the Culture Company.

Ker-ching!!!!

And so it went on.

One estimate is that Ringo spent ten days here, while the CoC footed the bill for all of the gang.

Redmond was left suitably left red-faced when he finally received the expenses bill from Ringo - and found the council taxpayers were going to have to pick up the tab for £90.000 - three times the fee that Ringo had asked for.

Fans will recall that Ringo sang, with some gusto, "I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" during his acclaimed appearance at the Arena.

But one of his tunes which we did not hear, unfortunately, was: "You Know, It Don't Come Easy."

Could have fooled us.

Now Our Lord Redmond and the CoC are hoping that no-one asks any awkward questions about the cost of bringing one of Liverpool's most famous sons back to the city to plug his new album.