History Series / JimmySavileABritishHorrorStory

* MyGreatestFailure: In the words of many of those interviewed, the pieces were all right in front of them, but no one was able to put the big picture together.

* CreepyPhysical: Savile worked as a voluntary helper at various hospitals across the UK, particularly Leeds Infirmary and Stoke Mandeville. He used this position to molest countless patients, many of whom couldn't even respond to what he was doing to them.

->''"If you don't work in a hospital, you're really missing something. In fact, you're missing everything."''
-->-- Jimmy Savile, after receiving a drawing from a hospital patient depicting him as a monster

For nearly 60 years, Sir Jimmy Savile had been a fixture of British media. Known for his eccentric mannerisms and dressing in outlandish outfits, he hosted the music program ''Series/TopOfThePops'' for much of its 42 year run. On ''Jim'll Fix It'', he granted the wishes of children throughout the country. He raised millions of pounds for charity, rebuilt hospitals, and was recognized with a knighthood. When he died, he received the kind of funeral that was expected for royalty. But a year after his death, allegations emerged that he had used his long career to abuse children. This documentary interviews Savile's colleagues, friends, and members of the British media and establishment, all of whom had no idea what a monster he was, while a handful of his victims discuss the horror they experienced.

* TechnologyBlindElders: When asked by what his thoughts are of comments about him said online, Savile replies that he doesn't have a computer or anything connected to the internet. While not mentioned by the documentary, Savile did once say he didn't own a computer because he didn't want people to think "he was downloading child porn."

* MamasBoy: In the words of Andrew Neil, the only woman who they could find who had played any role in Savile's life was his mother, and they had a very unhealthy relationship at that. According to a former BBC secretary who worked with Savile, the only time he ever showed emotion was when she died.

* WorkingClassHero: Savile was seen as a man of the people thanks to his background as a miner, and Prince Charles was able to use him to try to relate to the working class. This made him an unofficial advisor to the Royal Family. Margaret Thatcher also saw him as a model for her vision of society, where people lifted themselves up and then helped the less fortunate themselves.

->''"It was good while it lasted."''
-->-- The epitaph that was on Jimmy Savile's tombstone, which stood for three weeks before it was removed due to the allegations

For nearly 60 years, Sir Jimmy Savile had been a fixture of British media. Known for his eccentric mannerisms and dressing in outlandish outfits, he hosted the music program ''Series/TopOfThePops''. On ''Jim'll Fix It'', he granted the wishes of children throughout the country. He raised millions of pounds for charity, rebuilt hospitals, and was recognized with a knighthood. When he died, he received the kind of funeral that was expected for royalty. But a year after his death, allegations emerged that he had used his long career to abuse children. This documentary interviews Savile's colleagues, friends, and members of the British media and establishment, all of whom had no idea what a monster he was, while a handful of his victims discuss the horror they experienced.

For nearly 60 years, Sir Jimmy Savile had been a fixture of British media. He hosted the music program ''Series/TopOfThePops''. On ''Jim'll Fix It'', he granted the wishes of children throughout the country. He raised millions of pounds for charity, rebuilt hospitals, and was recognized with a knighthood. When he died, he received the kind of funeral that was expected for royalty. But a year after his death, allegations emerged that he had used his long career to abuse children. This documentary interviews Savile's colleagues, friends, and members of the British media and establishment, all of whom had no idea what a monster he was, while a handful of his victims discuss the horror they experienced.

* CigarChomper: Savile is never seen without a cigar in his hand, which was one of his trademarks.

* HiddenInPlainSight: It was obvious that Savile was creepy and weird, but people dismissed it as him simply being "our Jimmy." Perhaps most shockingly, he actually ''grabbed a woman's ass'' while the camera was rolling on ''Top of the Pops''.

* RagsToRiches: Part of Savile's appeal was his humble origin. He came from a working-class family, worked as a miner in his youth, and spoke in a distinct [[OopNorth Northern accent]]. This made him appear to be a man of the people, who rose to the point that he regularly dined with the Prime Minister and the Royal Family, and greatly helped the country seemingly relate to him.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Just before the ITV documentary aired, Roger Ordish was told by a friend that "a whole hornet's nest is about to come out."

* WorkingClassHero: Savile was seen as a man of the people thanks to his background as a miner, and Prince Charles was able to use him to try to relate to the working class. This made him an unofficial advisor to the Royal Family.

* DepravedKidsShowHost: Savile's most famous show was called ''Jim'll Fix It'', where he granted the wishes of children who wrote in and told him what they wanted "fixed," ranging from meeting Creator/WilliamShatner on the ''Enterprise'' bridge set to one boy taking his teacher out for a nice meal. However, Savile molested many of the children who came on the show.

* DrivenToSuicide: Meirion Jones shows a number of comments from remote websites which discussed Savile. One of them said that their friend was abused by Savile, and committed sucicide a few years later.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Savile made such a name for himself with his charity projects, particularly after his efforts to rebuild Stoke Mandeville, that the rumors about his private life were frequently dismissed out of hand. When Lynn Barber mentioned the rumor that he liked little girls, she received a number of angry complaints accusing "this wonderful man" of being a pedophile.

* WorthlessYellowRocks: After he had "fixed it," Savile would present the children with a badge and ribbon that said "Jim Has Fixed It." According to Roger Ordish, these were for a time quite valuable on [=eBay=], but the allegations quickly ended that.

* DepravedKidsShowHost: Savile's most famous show was called ''Jim'll Fix It'', where he granted the wishes of children who wrote in and told him what they wanted "fixed," ranging from meeting Creator/WilliamShatner on the ''Enterprise'' bridge set to one boy taking his teacher out for a nice meal. However, Savile used his position to molest many of the children who came on the show.

* RealMenLoveJesus: Savile was a ''deeply'' devoted Catholic, to the point that his corpse was found with his fingers crossed. In interviews, he would say that he did all his charity work so that he could pull out the good deeds when St. Peter would judge his life agains the bad deeds.

For nearly 60 years, Sir Jimmy Savile had been a fixture of British media. He hosted the music program ''Series/TopOfThePops''. On ''Jim'll Fix It'', he granted the wishes of children throughout the country. When he died, he received the kind of funeral that was expected for royalty. But a year after his death, allegations emerged that he had used his long career to abuse children. This documentary interviews Savile's colleagues, friends, and members of the British media and establishment, all of whom had no idea what a monster he was.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: When Savile died, he received the kind of praise and honors that one might expect a deceased member of the royal family or a prime minister to receive. However, Meirion Jones's documentary exposed the truth about him, and he is now one of the most reviled men in British history.

* DepravedKidsShowHost: Savile's most famous show was called ''Jim'll Fix It'', where he granted the wishes of children who wrote in and told him what they wanted "fixed." The wishes ranged from meeting Creator/WilliamShatner on the ''Enterprise'' bridge set to one boy taking his teacher out for a nice meal. However, Savile used his position to molest many of the children who came on the show.

* DarkReprise: The documentary's main {{Leitmotif}} is a slow and darker version of the ''Jim'll Fix It'' theme.

For nearly 60 years, Sir Jimmy Savile had been a fixture of British media. He hosted the music program ''Series/TopOfThePops''. He hosted the series ''Jim'll Fix It'', where he granted the wishes of children throughout the country. When he died, he received the kind of funeral that was expected for royalty. But a year after his death, allegations emerged that he had used his long career to abuse children. This documentary interviews Savile's colleagues, friends, and members of the British media and establishment, all of whom had no idea what a monster he was.

* KavorkaMan: Savile ''claimed'' to be this, frequently making vague mention to sexual conquests in interviews. However, Andrew Neil's research team, many of whom were veteran tabloid journalists, were unable to find a single woman he had legitimately dated.

* DepravedKidsShowHost: Savile's most famous show was called ''Jim'll Fix It'', where he granted the wishes of children who wrote in and told him what they wanted "fixed." The wishes ranged from children meeting Creator/WilliamShatner on the ''Enterprise'' bridge set to one boy taking his teacher out for a nice meal. However, Savile used his position to molest many of the children who came on the show.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: When Savile died, he received the kind of praise and honors that one might expect a deceased member of the royal family to receive. However, Meirion Jones's documentary exposed the truth about him, and he is now one of the most reviled men in British history.

* MamasBoy: In the words of Andrew Neil, the only woman who they could find who had played any role in Savile's life was his mother, and they had a very unhealthy relationship at that.

* BittersweetEnding: Jimmy Savile died without any sort of punishment for his lifetime of abuse against children, and many of those interviewed express regret that they weren't able to put the pieces together until after he died. However, with the reveal of his insidious crimes, many of his honors were posthumously revoked, and the investigations into him helped expose other pedophiles such as Rolf Harris and Gary Glitter.

* PedoHunt: The documentary is about how investigators slowly pieced together the truth that Jimmy Savile was a pedophile and sexual abuser.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Savile cultivated friendships with UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana, which afforded him a great deal of protection from the British establishment. He was also recognized by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the UK.