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 variety music programme ''Series/TopOfThePops'', hosting regularly until the early 80's, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He hosted two other shows from the 70's to the 90's: ''Clunk, Click'', a Saturday night chat show, followed by ''Jim'll Fix It'', in which Savile fulfilled a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with 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 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 80's, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He hosted 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 fulfilled a wish for children in need. Through these shows, he became noted for his eccentric personality. Savile was a tall, strong man with 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, the Police, and the UsefulNotes/NationalHealthService (who operates the hospitals Savile worked at) 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 in the entertainment industry -- Rolf Harris and Max Clifford, for starters -- to jail for sex offences they themselves committed.)

* PaedoHunt: The horrific and seemingly relentless catalogue of his crimes against children that emerged in the months after his death led to the establishment of Operation Yewtree, possibly the biggest paedophile hunt in history, to dig into the stories surrounding Savile, attempt to identify other possible offenders in Savile's social circle and determine whether anyone is left who can actually stand trial for what happened. So far Creator/RolfHarris has been imprisoned for sexual abuse of young girls, including a friend of his daughter, and there are bound to be further revelations and arrests in the future.

* 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 60s and 70s, before moving on to other TV productions. The two even died within months of each other (Clark died in April 2012). However, whereas Clark was very clean-cut and maintained a relatively "smooth" presentation, Savile was very much a flamboyant quirk. Also, unlike Savile, Clark's legacy still remains intact as of 2015.
** Ever since the scandal broke, comparisons have been made to Jerry Sandusky. Much like Savile, Sandusky- a [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball former defensive coordinator at Penn State University]]- used a charitable organisation in order to gain access to and sexually abuse vulnerable people. The exposure of Savile and Sandusky caused major PR damage to the organisations they worked for, and also led to high-profile figures within those organisations resigning or being fired. Two major differences: not only was Sandusky's abuse more discriminate (in this case, prepubescent boys), but Sandusky was exposed, tried, and locked up while he was still alive.

* WhiteDearfStarlet: His fame faded in the years after Jim'll Fix It ended, but if you talked to him you'd still think the world revolved around him. He broke his ankle during his Louis Theroux documentary, and tried to use the incident to get his name in the papers. Apparently this is actually an indicator for sociopathy

* BlatantLies: During his interview with LouisTheroux, Savile denied doing anything unseemingly -- including "underage sex" -- in his private life.

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

* OpenSecret: Vast swathes of the British entertainment industry (including Music/JohnLydon, who hated the man) heard all the rumors, if nothing else. After ''Jim'll Fix It'' ended, jokes about him having a more unsavory side [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeB9ZxffQAE started popping up on TV]]. Almost like they were trying to tell us something...

* OpenSecret: Vast swathes of the British entertainment industry (including Music/JohnLydon) heard the rumors, if nothing else. After ''Jim'll Fix It'' ended, jokes about him having a more unsavory side [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeB9ZxffQAE started popping up on TV]]. Almost like they were trying to tell us something...

* DevilInPlainSight: Even ''if'' he didn't act like a creepy weirdo, you'd think people would be more wary of letting a screeching, schoolgirl obsessed scarecrow-man near their children.

-->--'''''[[Recap/DoctorWho1985JFIGSAFixWithSontarans A Fix with Sontarans]]'''''. Of course, neither the scriptwriter nor the actors knew [[note]]or worse, could prove[[/note]] the real reason Tegan and Six reacted this way...

* 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 [[ILoveTheDead 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?

-->--'''''[[Recap/DoctorWho1985JFIGSAFixWithSontarans A Fix with Sontarans]]'''''. Of course, neither the scriptwriter nor the actors knew the real reason Tegan and Six reacted this way...

* 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 rather be WouldHurtAChild [[/note]].

* 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?

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds [[UsefulNotes/NationalHealthService 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 his life and accomplishments.

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 and the NHS 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 in the entertainment industry -- Rolf Harris and Max Clifford, for starters -- to jail for sex offences they themselves committed.)

''Jim'll Fix It'' contributed to Savile's image as a philanthropist. He was instrumental in raising funds [[UsefulNotes/NationalHealthService]] 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 his life and accomplishments.

''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 his life and accomplishments.

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.)

* BannedEpisode: Despite having presented on the BBC for forty years, the corporation will never rerun most of its programmes featuring Savile -- and what little footage that does make it to air will be heavily edited:

** 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 likely never be broadcast again.

* '''NeverLiveItDown'''

* 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.

[[caption-width-right:258:No thank you, Jimmy.]]

** More recently, he's been compared to [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball Jerry Sandusky]].

* 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 fulfilment show in the late 1970s and was still appearing on TV until the 2000s.

** Savile's ornate headstone in Leeds was taken down, broken into pieces, and taken to a landfill. (It stood for only ninteen days.)

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 80's, and coming back occasionally (such as the last weekly edition in 2006). He hosted 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 fulfilled 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 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 fulfilled 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.

** As mentioned above, TheBBC has either {{Bowdlerise}}d footage from Savile's programmes or banned them outright.

* 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, all memorials, statues, archive footage, pictures, charity funds, etc... have been removed, disbanded, or destroyed.