History Creator / JimmySavile

James Wilson Vincent Savile got his start working as a deejay at dance halls in his native Leeds. He joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80s, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He went on to host two other shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'', and ''Jim'll Fix It'', a show in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. (Despite his sporting image, he was a notorious cigar smoker.) Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the people over with charm and amusement in equal measure. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death on 29 October 2011 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

James Wilson Vincent Savile got his start working as a deejay at dance halls in his native Leeds. He joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80s, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'', and ''Jim'll Fix It'', a show in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. (Despite his sporting image, he was a notorious cigar smoker.) Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

James Wilson Vincent Savile was born in Leeds in 1926 to a family of seven children. He got his start working as a deejay at dance halls and was considered a pioneer at using twin turntables for continuous music playing. Savile joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80s, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'', and ''Jim'll Fix It'', a show in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. (Despite his sporting image, he was a notorious cigar smoker.) Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him gave the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the people over with charm and amusement in equal measure. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death on 29 October 2011 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

James Wilson Vincent Savile was born in Leeds in 1926 to a family of seven children. During WorldWarII, he was conscripted into working in coal mines. In the early 1940s, he began working as a deejay at dance halls and was considered a pioneer at using twin turntables for continuous music playing. Savile joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80s, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'', and ''Jim'll Fix It'', a show in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. (Despite his sporting image, he was a notorious cigar smoker.) Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

From that point on, troubling questions about Savile were being asked. How was he allowed to abuse so many children for so many decades? What role, if any, did the BBC play in covering up Savile's crimes both before and after his death? If Savile was allowed to commit his crimes under the full glare of the limelight for so long, how many other prominent people could be up to similar misdeeds? (The latter actually wound up sending other famous eccentrics- Rolf Harris and Max Clifford, for starters- to jail for sex offences they themselves committed.)

Despite all the questions bring asked, there was one certifiable fact: the world would never look at Jimmy Savile the same way again.

* KnightFever: Got an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1971, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1990. He appended these to his signature- for example, ''TOTP'' episodes hosted by him were hosted by "Jimmy Savile OBE", not "Jimmy Savile" Once his offences were unmasked, calls came for these honours to be erased. However, since the honours technically die with the person, this is impossible, barring a change in procedure from the Honours Committee.

If you are a Briton and you hear the name '''Jimmy Savile''', two images come to mind: that of Creator/TheBBC's most quirky and long-running TV presenter, and that of [[DepravedKidsShowHost the most prolific sex offender in U.K. history]].

A year after Savile's death, Creator/{{ITV}} broadcast a documentary featuring five women who claimed to have been molested by Savile when they were children. The programme led others to come forward and expose a completely different and disturbing side to someone who had been considered a national treasure. With every new account came further confirmation that Savile had used his influence to gain access hundreds of victims. Those molested or raped by Savile included children of personal acquaintances, guests on his BBC programmes, and patients at the hospitals he had raised funds for -- people who were defenseless and whose accounts would never be scrutinized thank's to Savile's celebrity clout. A real life example of a DepravedKidsShowHost and a KarmaHoudini, in short.

From that point on, troubling questions about Savile were being asked. How was he allowed to abuse so many children for so many decades? What role, if any, did the BBC play in covering up Savile's crimes both before and after his death? If Savile was allowed to commit his crimes under the full glare of the limelight for so long, how many other prominent people could be up to similar misdeeds? Despite all the questions bring asked, there was one certifiable fact: the world would never look at Jimmy Savile the same way again.

** A sizeable chunk (mainly episodes that aired between 1964 and 1984) of ''Series/TopOfThePops'' will likely never see the light of day again; if it does air, it's only in short clips with the audience blurred out to protect the identities of possible victims. ''TOTP'' specials have aired performance footage from the Savile era that do not feature him on camera.

** The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho1985JFIGSAFixWithSontarans A Fix with Sontarans]]", which was a crossover with ''Jim'll Fix It'' and featured a short appearance by Savile, has been pulled from Region 2 DVD releases and will never be broadcast again.

* KnightFever: Got an OBE in 1971, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1990. Once his offences were unmasked, calls came for his honours to be erased. However, since the honours die with the person, this is impossible, barring a change in procedure from the Honours Committee.

* PopCulturalOsmosis: During his lifetime Savile was only famous in the United Kingdom. Since his posthumous scandal and the infamy that went along with it he has become far more notorious world wide. Similarly he was seen a good natured philanthropist in life, while nowadays he is remembered for quite the opposite. Even on this very site it's downright impossible to mention his name without addressing the scandal.
* TransAtlanticEquivalent: Before 2012, a case could have been made for Savile being the British version of [[Series/AmericanBandstand Dick Clark]]- both of them being older presenters of music-based shows geared to younger viewers during the 70s, before moving on to other TV productions. Whereas Clark was very clean-cut and maintained a relatively "smooth" presentation, Savile was very much a flamboyant quirk. The two even died within months of each other (Clark died in April 2012). However, unlike Savile, Clark's legacy still remains intact as of 2015.

* AlliterativeTitle: "Clunk Click" was the name of a pop music show he presented.

James Wilson Vincent Savile was born in Leeds to a family of seven children. During WorldWarII he was conscripted into working in coal mines. In the early 1940s, he began working as a deejay at dance halls and was considered a pioneer at using twin turnables for continuous music playing. Savile joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80s, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'' and ''Jim'll Fix It'', in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. He became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. Despite his sporting image he was a notorious cigar smoker. Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him gave the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the people over with charm and amusement in equal measure. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death in late 2011 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

* GovernmentConspiracy: He was definitely part of some kind of paedophile ring operating out of the BBC, which included at least one other ''Series/TopOfThePops'' host, though how widespread it actually was and how much the higher-ups knew is a matter of some contention, and given the difficulties inherent in investigating decades-old abuse cases will likely never be fully known. What doesn't help is that a lot of the posthumous claims about his criminal life often seem rather outrageous and far-fetched. At this point Savile is under suspicion of having been a rapist, child molester (both boys and girls), a blackmailer, a necrophile [[note]] he was given access to a mortuarium and thus suspicions about what he might have done there have risen [[/note]], an accomplice of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, an accomplice in the murder of BBC presenter Jill Dando,... At some point you really start to wonder how a BigBad like that would be able to remain out of the clutches of the law his entire life if literally every claim made about him would be true?

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: His Leeds accent was not hidden. Relatively notable, given that the BBC had a reputation of "stuffiness" up to the point of Savile's breakthrough.

* UnPerson: The nature and scale of Savile's crimes have led the BBC to do everything possible to distance themselves from the man. In the rest of the country too all memorials, statues, archive footage, pictures, charity funds,... have been removed, disbanded or destroyed.

* GovernmentConspiracy: He was definitely part of some kind of paedophile ring operating out of the BBC, which included at least one other ''Series/TopOfThePops'' host, though how widespread it actually was and how much the higher-ups knew is a matter of some contention, and given the difficulties inherent in investigating decades-old abuse cases will likely never be fully known. What doesn't help is that a lot of the posthumous claims about his criminal life often seem rather outrageous and far-fetched. At this point Savile is under suspicion of having been a rapist, child molester (both boys and girls), a blackmailer, a necrophile [[note]] he was given access to a mortuarium and thus suspicions about what he might have done there have risen [[/note]], an accomplice of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, an accomplice in the murder of BBC presenter Jill Dando,... At some point you really start to wonder how a BigBad like that would be able to remain out of the clutches of the law for is entire life if literally every claim made about him is true?

A year after Savile's death, Creator/{{ITV}} broadcast a documentary featuring five women who claimed to have been molested by Savile when they were children. The programme led others to come forward and expose a completely different and disturbing side to someone who had been considered a national treasure. With every new account came further confirmation that Savile had used his influence to gain access hundreds of victims. Those molested or raped by Savile included children of personal acquaintances, guests on his BBC programmes, and patients at the hospitals he had raised funds for -- people who were defenseless and whose accounts would never be scutinized thank's to Savile's celebrity clout. A real life example of a DepravedKidsShowHost and a KarmaHoudini, in short.

** The ''DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho1985JFIGSAFixWithSontarans A Fix with Sontarans]]", which was a crossover with ''Jim'll Fix It'' and featured a short appearance by Savile, has been pulled from Region 2 DVD releases and will never be broadcast again.

* GovernmentConspiracy: He was definitely part of some kind of paedophile ring operating out of the BBC, which included at least one other ''TopOfThePops'' host, though how widespread it actually was and how much the higher-ups knew is a matter of some contention, and given the difficulties inherent in investigating decades-old abuse cases will likely never be fully known.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: As if all the rape wasn't enough, Savile is also believed to have been somehow involved in the murder of a reporter named Jill Dando in 1999 who had been looking into reports of sexual abuse at the BBC.

[[caption-width-right:258:Little did anyone realize how threatening that shirt was.]]

A year after Savile's death, Creator/{{ITV}} broadcast a documentary featuring five women who claimed to have been molested by Savile when they were children. The programme led others to come forward and expose a completely different and disturbing side to someone who had been considered a national treasure. With every new account came further confirmation that Savile had used his influence to gain access hundreds of victims. Those attacked by Savile included children of personal acquaintances, guests on his BBC programmes, and patients at the hospitals he had raised funds for. A real life example of a DepravedKidsShowHost and a KarmaHoudini, in short.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with the social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him gave the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the charms of many people or just amused others with his bizarre antics. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death in late 2011 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

[[caption-width-right:258:Little did anyone realize how threatening that T-shirt was.]]

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him gave the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the charms of many people or just amused others with his bizarre antics. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death in late 2011 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

James Wilson Vincent Savile was born in Leeds to a family of seven children. During WorldWarII he was conscripted into working in coal mines. In the early 1940s, he began working as a deejay at dance halls and was considered a pioneer at using twin turnables for continuous music playing. Savile joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''Series/TopOfThePops''. He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'' and ''Jim'll Fix It'', in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need. He became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with equally long white hair who always wore jogging suits and kept in shape by frequently doing sports. Despite his sporting image he was a notorious cigar smoker. Savile also enjoyed clowning around in front of people, making silly faces or joking about.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. All this gave him gave the reputation of a flamboyant CloudCuckooLander with a heart of gold, who easily won the charms of many people or just amused others with his bizarre antics. It got to the point that he could get away with saying and doing outrageous things in public that other people would find a bit embarrassing at times. Savile's death in 2012 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Was a very devout Catholic. He once met and talked to Pope John Paul II, the most important moment in his life to him.
* CloudCuckooLander: In life Savile was known for being an eccentric man who enjoyed clowing it up in front of an audience.

* IconicOutfit: Hardly ever appeared in public without wearing his jogging suit and cigar. His pink glasses were another attribute.
* LongRunners: Started as a radio presenter in the 1950s, became host of the pop concert show ''Top Of The Pops'' from 1964 on, had a travel series in the early 1970s, a children's wish fulfillment show in the late 1970s and was still appearing on TV until the 2000s.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: His Leeds accent was not hidden.

* PopCulturalOsmosis: During his lifetime Savile was only famous in the United Kingdom. Since his posthumous scandal and the infamy that went along with it he has become far more notorious world wide. Similarly he was seen a good natured philantropist in life, while nowadays he is remembered for quite the opposite. Even on this very site it's downright impossible to mention his name, without addressing the scandal.

** ''Jim'll Fix It'' has been banned outright. Interviews with Savile before his death suggest — in hindsight — that he only did the show so he could be close to his targets.

** Even programmes that don't directly feature Savile get this treatment. A ''Series/{{Tweenies}}'' episode from 2001, "Favourite Song", showed Max impersonating Savile as part of the "Tweenie Chart Countdown", which featured the titular characters singing, well, their favourite songs. The episode first aired a decade before the allegations gained nationwide attention. The BBC actually missed this episode when initially pulling Savile-related material from programming -- it aired in January 2013, mere days after the Met put out a report effectively confirming the worst about Savile. The BBC, already doing damage control after allegations emerged that the BBC under-acted in regards to initial complaints against Savile, promptly apologised and locked the episode away.

If you are a Briton and you hear the name '''Jimmy Savile''', two images come to mind: that of Creator/TheBBC's most flamboyant and long-running TV presenter, and that of [[DepravedKidsShowHost the most prolific sex offender in U.K. history]].

** Even programmes that don't directly feature Savile get this treatment. A ''Series/{{Tweenies}}'' episode from 2001, "Favourite Song", showed Max impersonating Savile as part of the "Tweenie Chart Countdown", which featured the titular characters singing, well, their favourite songs. The episode first aired well before the allegations gained nationwide attention. The BBC actually missed this episode when initially pulling Savile-related material from programming -- it aired in January 2013, mere days after the Metropolitan Police put out a report effectively confirming the worst about Savile. The BBC, already doing damage control after allegations emerged that the BBC under-acted in regards to initial complaints against Savile, promptly apologised and locked the episode away.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Was a very devout Catholic. He once met and talked to Pope John Paul II, which to him was the most important moment in his life.

* FriendToAllChildren: He had this image when he presented "Jim'll Fix It", a show that helped children fulfill their dreams and wishes. Yet he always said in interviews that he didn't actually like children very much. When Creator/LouisTheroux asked him about this he told him that it was a way to keep the popular press off his back. [[note]] Needless to say that nowadays it would be rather WouldHurtAChild [[/note]].
* IconicOutfit: Hardly ever appeared in public without wearing his jump suit and cigar. His pink glasses were another attribute.

* CloudCuckooLander: In life Savile was one for being an eccentric man who enjoyed clowing it up in front of an audience.

If you are a Briton and you hear the name '''Jimmy Savile''', two images come to mind: that of Creator/TheBBC's most flamboyant and long-running TV presenter, and that of the most prolific sex offender in U.K. history.

James Wilson Vincent Savile was born in Leeds to a family of seven children. During WorldWarII he was conscripted into working in coal mines. In the early 1940s, he began working as a deejay at dance halls and was considered a pioneer at using twin turnables for continuous music playing. Savile joined the BBC in 1964 and became a presenter of the popular music chart variety programme ''TopOfThePops''. He went on to host two other prominent shows from the 70's to the 90's: the Saturday night chat show ''Clunk, Click'' and ''Jim'll Fix It'', in which Savile helped fulfill a wish for children in need.

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds for several hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. For his efforts, Savile enjoyed close links with Britain's social and political establishment, and received numerous honours including a knighthood and an OBE. Savile's death in 2012 was initially met with an outpouring of national grief, with the BBC airing a two hour tribute programme dedicated to Savile's life and accomplishments.

A year after Savile's death, Creator/{{ITV}} broadcast a documentary featuring five women who claimed to have been molested by Savile when they were children. The programme led others to come forward and expose a completely different and disturbing side to someone who had been considered a national treasure. With every new account came further confirmation that Savile had used his influence to gain access hundreds of victims. Those attacked by Savile included children of personal acquaintances, guests on his BBC programmes, and patients at the hospitals he had raised funds for.

** A sizeable chunk (mainly episodes that aired between 1964 and 1984) of ''TopOfThePops'' will likely never see the light of day again; if it does air, it's only in short clips with the audience blurred out to protect the identities of possible victims. ''TOTP'' specials have aired performance footage from the Savile era that do not feature him on camera.

* KarmaHoudini: Although rumors surrounded Savile, his crimes weren't widely known until after his death.
* UnPerson: The nature and scale of Savile's crimes have led the BBC to do everything possible to distance themselves from the man.

** Even programmes that don't directly feature Savile get this treatment. A ''Series/{{Tweenies}}'' episode from 2001, titled "Favourite Song", showed Max impersonating Savile as part of the "Tweenie Chart Countdown", which featured the titular characters singing, well, their favourite songs. The episode first aired well before the allegations gained nationwide attention. The BBC actually missed this episode when initially pulling Savile-related material from programming -- it aired in January 2013, mere days after the Metropolitan Police put out a report effectively confirming the worst about Savile. The BBC, already doing damage control after allegations emerged that the BBC under-acted in regards to initial complaints against Savile, promptly apologised and locked the episode away.

* Unperson: The nature and scale of Savile's crimes have led the BBC to do everything possible to distance themselves from the man.