Jimmy Savile

Sir
Jimmy Savile
OBE KCSG
Savile in 2006
Born
James Wilson Vincent Savile

(1926-10-31)31 October 1926
Burley, Leeds, England
Died29 October 2011(2011-10-29) (aged 84)
Roundhay, Leeds, England
Occupations
  • Media personality
  • DJ
Years active1958–2011
AwardsKnight Bachelor (1990)

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE KCSG (/ˈsævɪl/; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English media personality and DJ. Savile was well known in the United Kingdom for his eccentric image, charitable work, and hosting the BBC shows Top of the Pops, a pop music programme, and the popular children's programme, Jim'll Fix It. After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse made against him were investigated, leading the police to conclude that he had been a predatory sex offender[1] and possibly one of Britain's most prolific.[2][3][4][5] There had been allegations during his lifetime, but they were dismissed and accusers were ignored or disbelieved.

As a teenager during the Second World War, Savile worked in coal mines as a Bevin Boy. He began a career playing records in, and later managing, dance halls. His media career started as a disc jockey at Radio Luxembourg in 1958 and at Tyne Tees Television in 1960. From 1964 to 1988, Savile was a regular presenter on the BBC music show Top of the Pops, also co-presenting the last edition in 2006. In 1968, he began hosting his own radio shows for Radio 1, broadcasting until 1987. From 1975 to 1994, he presented Jim'll Fix It, an early Saturday evening television programme which arranged for the wishes of viewers, mainly children, to come true.

Savile was known for fundraising and supporting various charities and hospitals, in particular Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. In 2009, he was described by The Guardian as a "prodigious philanthropist" and was honoured for his charity work.[6][7] He was awarded the OBE in 1971 and was knighted in 1990. Following his death in 2011 at the age of 84, Savile was praised in obituaries for his personal qualities and his work raising an estimated £40 million for charities.[8][9]

In October 2012, an ITV documentary examined claims of sexual abuse by Savile.[10] This led to extensive media coverage and a substantial and rapidly growing body of witness statements and sexual abuse claims, including accusations against public bodies for covering up or failure of duty. Scotland Yard launched Operation Yewtree, a criminal investigation into allegations of child sex abuse by Savile spanning six decades,[4] describing him as a "predatory sex offender", and later stated that they were pursuing more than 400 lines of inquiry based on the testimony of 300 potential victims via 14 police forces.[11][12] The scandal had resulted in inquiries or reviews at the BBC, within the NHS, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Department of Health.[13][14][15] In June 2014, investigations into Savile's activities at 28 NHS hospitals, including Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, concluded that he had sexually assaulted staff and patients aged between 5 and 75 over several decades.[16] As a result of the scandal, some of the honours that Savile was awarded during his career were posthumously revoked and his television appearances, such as episodes of Top of the Pops that he presented, are no longer repeated.

  1. ^ "Jimmy Savile abuse claims: Police pursue 120 lines of inquiry". BBC News. 9 October 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2013. "At this stage it is quite clear from what women are telling us that Savile was a predatory sex offender", said Commander Peter Spindler, head of specialist crime investigations, in an interview with the BBC.
  2. ^ "Savile BBC scandal shocks UK". NBC Nightly News. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2021. Police believe former TV star Jimmy Savile, a national icon, may have been one of Britain's worst pedophile offenders. Some of Savile's alleged 300 victims had appeared on his TV shows.
  3. ^ Gilbert, Dave (24 October 2012). "Jimmy Savile: National treasure in life, reviled 'sex abuser' in death". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Jimmy Savile Inquiry Now Criminal Investigation". Sky News. 19 October 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2012. quoting the head of the NSPCC ("It's now looking possible that Jimmy Savile was one [of] the most prolific sex offenders the NSPCC has ever come across") and police ("We are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale. The profile of this operation has empowered a staggering number of victims to come forward ... Police previously said Savile's alleged catalogue of sex abuse could have spanned six decades").
  5. ^ Holden, Michael (25 October 2012). "Police to make arrests over BBC's 'tsunami of filth'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. ^ Lipsett, Anthea (14 July 2009). "Jim Fixes it for medical students". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  7. ^ Taylor, Paul (1985). Popular Music Since 1955: A Critical Guide to the Literature. Mansell. ISBN 978-0-7201-1727-1.
  8. ^ "Obituary: Sir Jimmy Savile". The Daily Telegraph. London. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC 15507374 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Quinn, Ben (28 September 2012). "Jimmy Savile alleged to have abused girls as young as 13". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2012. Documentary to air claims by several women that TV presenter assaulted them when they were children ... Up to 10 women are said to have come forward to claim that they were sexually assaulted by Savile during the 1970s
  11. ^ "Jimmy Savile: Number of victims reach 300, police say". BBC News. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference telegraph 191012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Mendick, Robert; Donnelly, Laura (20 October 2012). "Jimmy Savile: Questions for Edwina Currie and the BBC". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Jimmy Savile scandal: DPP to review abuse claims ('Q&A' and 'DPP to review' sections)". BBC News. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  15. ^ Furness, Hannah (24 October 2012). "Jimmy Savile: Director of Public Prosecutions to review why CPS did not prosecute". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Savile: 'Reports reveal a terrible picture' – Jeremy Hunt". BBC News. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2014.