Difference between revisions of "Jimmy Saville"

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{{Infobox person
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{{person
| name = Sir Jimmy Savile
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|image=Jimmy Savile 2006.jpg
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] [[Order of St. Gregory the Great|KCSG]]
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|imagesize=200px
| image = Jimmy Savile 2006.jpg
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|caption=Savile in July 2006
| imagesize = 200px
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|birth_name=James Wilson Vincent Savile
| caption = Savile in July 2006
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|birth_date=1926-10-31
| birth_name = James Wilson Vincent Savile
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|birth_place=Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|10|31|df=y}}
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|death_date=2011-10-29
| birth_place = Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
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|death_place=Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|10|29|1926|10|31|df=y}}
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|constitutes=DJ, celebrity, paedophile
| death_place = Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
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|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Saville
| occupation = DJ, television and radio personality, dance hall manager
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|employment=
 
}}
 
}}
'''Sir James Wilson Vincent''' "'''Jimmy'''" '''Savile''' (31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality, dance hall manager, and charity fundraiser. He hosted the [[BBC]] television show ''Jim'll Fix It'', was the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show ''Top of the Pops'', and raised an estimated £40 million for charities.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8857428/Sir-Jimmy-Savile.html |title= Sir Jimmy Savile: Obituary |date=29 October 2011 |accessdate=11 November 2011 |work= The Daily Telegraph |location= London}}</ref> At the time of his death he was widely praised for his personal qualities and as a fund-raiser.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15507374|title=DJ and TV presenter Jimmy Savile dies, aged 84|work=BBC News|date=29 October 2011|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were made against him, leading the police to believe that Savile was a predatory sex offender,<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile abuse claims: Police pursue 120 lines of inquiry |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19887019 |accessdate=25 April 2013 |work=BBC News |date=9 October 2012 |quote="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.}}</ref> and that he may have been one of Britain's most prolific sexual offenders.<ref>{{cite news |title= Savile BBC scandal shocks UK |url= http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49560632|accessdate=26 October 2012 |work= NBC Nightly News |date=25 October 2012 |quote=Police believe former TV star Jimmy Savile, a national icon, may have been one of Britain's worst paedophile offenders. Some of Savile's alleged 300 victims had appeared on his TV shows.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Gilbert |first= Dave |title= Jimmy Savile: National treasure in life, reviled 'sex abuser' in death |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/23/world/europe/jimmy-savile-profile/index.html |work= CNN |date=24 October 2012 |accessdate=26 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile Inquiry Now Criminal Investigation |url= http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/savile_inquiry_now_a_criminal_investigaton| work=Sky News |date=19 October 2012 |accessdate=26 October 2012}} quoting the head of the [[NSPCC]] ("It's now looking possible that Jimmy Savile was one 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").</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://uk.news.yahoo.com/savile-police-staggered-extent-inquiry-144317426.html |title= Police to make arrests over BBC's 'tsunami of filth' |work= Yahoo! News |date=25 October 2012 |agency= Reuters |accessdate=29 October 2012}}</ref> There had been allegations [[#During his lifetime|during his lifetime]], but they were dismissed and accusers ignored or disbelieved; Savile took legal action against some accusers.
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Jimmy Saville was D.J. turned celebrity who worked a lot with children. The subject of innuendo for decades before his death, he was only publicly out posthumously as an "extravagant sexual predator, using his access to hospitals as a volunteer porter and fundraiser to abuse victims aged from 5 to 75."<ref>http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/26/world/europe/uk-jimmy-savile-abuse-report/index.html</ref> He continued his predation on the vulnerable with the knowledge and support of senior UK [[establishment]] figures, raping and sexually abusing hundreds of children. Allegations against him went uninvestigated for decades, but coalesced quickly after his death, leading to hope that the [[VIPaedophile]] child abuse rings might be properly exposed.
  
Savile was conscripted to work in the coal mines as a Bevin Boy during the [[Second World War]]. He began a career playing records in, and later managing, dance halls, and was said to have been the first disc jockey to use twin turntables to keep music in constant play. His media career started as a disc jockey at Radio Luxembourg in 1958 and on [[Tyne Tees Television]] in 1960, and he developed a reputation for eccentricity and flamboyance. At the BBC, he presented the first edition of ''Top of the Pops'' in 1964 and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 from 1968. From 1975 until 1994, he presented ''Jim'll Fix It'', a popular television programme in which he arranged for the wishes of viewers, mainly children, to come true. During his lifetime, he was noted for fund-raising and supporting 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"<ref>{{cite news|first= Anthea|last= Lipsett|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/14/medical-research-funding-jimmy-savile|title= Jim Fixes it for medical students|work=The Guardian|date=14 July 2009|accessdate= 30 October 2011|location= London}}</ref> and was honoured for his charity work.<ref>{{cite book|first= Paul|last= Taylor|title= Popular Music Since 1955: A Critical Guide to the Literature|publisher= Mansell|year= 1985|ISBN= 0-7201-1727-5}}</ref> He was awarded the OBE in 1971 and was knighted in 1990.
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==Connections==
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[[File:Savile_Heath.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Jimmy Savile]] and [[Edward Heath]] rehearsing for ''Jim'll Fix It'' in 1980]]
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On [[Edward Heath]]'s recommendation, Savile was awarded an OBE in 1972 and was recommended by [[Margaret Thatcher]] for a knighthood as '''Sir Jimmy Savile''' in 1990.<ref>[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/edward-heath-fixed-jimmy-savile-6220604 "Edward Heath fixed it for Jimmy Saville to receive OBE and attended Paedophile Information Exchange meetings"]</ref>
  
In October 2012, almost a year after his death, an [[ITV]] documentary examined claims of sexual abuse by Savile<ref>{{cite news |last= Quinn |first= Ben |title= Jimmy Savile alleged to have abused girls as young as 13 |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/sep/28/jimmy-savile-abused-girls-alleged |accessdate=26 October 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |location= London |date=28 September 2012 |quote= 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}}</ref> and 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. [[Metropolitan Police Service|Scotland Yard]] launched a criminal investigation (Operation Yewtree) into allegations of child sex abuse by Savile spanning six decades, 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 across the UK.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20081021 |title= Jimmy Savile: Number of victims reach 300, police say |date=25 October 2012 |work=BBC News |accessdate=25 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Rayner |first= Gordon |date=19 October 2012 |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9620149/Jimmy-Savile-police-launch-criminal-investigation-after-victims-claim-some-abusers-are-still-alive.html |title= Jimmy Savile: police launch criminal investigation after victims claim some abusers are still alive |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |accessdate=25 October 2012}}</ref> By late October 2012, the scandal had resulted in inquiries or reviews at the BBC, within the [[National Health Service]], the [[Crown Prosecution Service]], and the [[Department of Health]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9623089/Jimmy-Savile-Questions-for-Edwina-Currie-and-the-BBC.html |author1= Mendick, Robert |author2= Donnelly, Laura |title= Jimmy Savile: Questions for Edwina Currie and the BBC |date=20 October 2012 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location =London |accessdate=25 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="police and CPS">{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile scandal: DPP to review abuse claims ('Q&A' and 'DPP to review' sections) |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19946626 |accessdate= 26 October 2012 |work=BBC News |date=24 October 2012 |quote= The Metropolitan Police launched a "formal criminal investigation" into Savile's alleged offences on 19 October [2012]<br/>[[Director of Public Prosecutions]] [[Keir Starmer]] is to review decisions ... not to prosecute Jimmy Savile in 2009... because the alleged victims' unwillingness to support police inquiries made a conviction unlikely}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9630550/Jimmy-Savile-What-George-Entwistle-told-MPs-about-Panorama-justthewomen-Newsnight-and-the-conversation-at-the-Hilton-Hotel.html |title= Jimmy Savile: Director of Public Prosecutions to review why CPS did not prosecute |work= The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=24 October 2012 |accessdate=24 October 2012}}</ref>  In June 2014, investigations into Savile's activities in 28 NHS hospitals, including Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, concluded that he had sexually assaulted staff and patients aged between five and 75 throughout several decades.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28036469 |publisher= BBC News |title= JSavile: 'Reports reveal a terrible picture' - Jeremy Hunt |date=26 June 2014 |accessdate=26 June 2014 }}</ref>
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==Post-death investigations==
 
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After Saville died, many indepedent witnesses came forward to testify to his predatory and macabre bahviour, in which he was still engaged at the age of 82.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2670444/Jimmy-Savile-abused-corpses-boasted-jewellery-glass-eyes-NHS-report-reveals-shocking-new-details-paedophiles-crimes.html</ref> Typical reports include:
In January 2013, a joint report by the [[NSPCC]] and [[Metropolitan Police]], "Giving Victims a Voice", stated that 450 people had made complaints against Savile, with the period of alleged abuse stretching from 1955 to 2009 and the ages of the complainants at the time of the assaults ranging from eight to 47.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nspcc.org.uk/news-and-views/our-news/child-protection-news/13-01-11-yewtree-report/yewtree-report-pdf_wdf93652.pdf |title= Giving Victims a Voice – Joint report into sexual allegations against Jimmy Savile |publisher= NSPCC |date= January 2013 |accessdate= 11 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20981611 |title= Jimmy Savile scandal: Report reveals decades of abuse |work= BBC News |date=11 January 2013 |accessdate=11 January 2013}}</ref> The suspected victims included 28 children aged under 10, including 10 boys aged as young as eight. A further 63 were girls aged between 13 and 16 and nearly three-quarters of his victims were under 18. Some 214 criminal offences were recorded, with 34 rapes having been reported across 28 police forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1054579/jimmy-savile-ex-policeman-acted-for-star|title="Jimmy Savile: Ex-Policeman 'Acted For Star'".|work=Sky News|date=20 February 2013|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref>
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* Stoke Mandeville Hospital: - He abused at least 63 people there, but that the only formal complaint made was ignored.<ref>http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31637320</ref>
 
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* Leeds Infirmary: - While volunteering as a porter, "abused and raped patients without scruple"<ref>http://savilereport.leedsth.nhs.uk//40482-LIBRA-main-accessible-v0.3.pdf</ref>
==Early life==
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{{SMWDocs}}
Savile, born in Leeds, was the youngest of seven children (his elder siblings were Mary, Marjory, Vincent, John, Joan, and Christina) in a Roman Catholic family.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jimmy|last=Savile|title=God'll Fix it|publisher=Mowbray|year=1979|ISBN=978-0264664576}}</ref> His parents were Vincent Joseph Marie Savile (1886-1953), a bookmaker's clerk and insurance agent, and his wife, Agnes Monica Kelly (1886-1972).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=bmd%2fd%2f1972%2f4%2faz%2f001132%2f079&highlights=%22%22|title=Register - findmypast.co.uk|publisher=|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> Savile believed he owed his life to the intercession of the Venerable Margaret Sinclair, a Scottish nun, after he recovered quickly from illness, possibly pneumonia, at the age of two when his mother prayed at Leeds Cathedral after picking up a pamphlet about Sinclair.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3060395.stm |title=Sir Jimmy backs saint calls |work=BBC News |accessdate=17 November 2011 |date=11 July 2003}}</ref> During the [[Second World War]] he was conscripted to work as a Bevin Boy at South Kirkby Colliery in West Yorkshire, where he suffered spinal injuries in an accident and spent a long period recuperating.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/my-badge-of-honour-1-2106929 |title= My badge of honour |work= Yorkshire Evening Post |date=22 June 2007 |location= Leeds}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile started playing records in dance halls in the early 1940s, and claimed to be the first DJ. According to his autobiography, he was the first to use two turntables and a microphone at the Grand Records Ball at the [http://www.standrewsdirectory.com/entry/guardbridge-hotel.html Guardbridge Hotel] in 1947.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2004/apr/20/guesteditors2|title= Harland Miller on Jimmy Savile: inventor of hip-hop style|work= The Guardian|location= London|accessdate= 28 July 2008|last= Miller|first= Harland|date= 27 April 2004}}</ref> It was billed as 'Jimmy Savile introducing Juke Box Doubles'. Savile is acknowledged as a pioneer of using twin turntables for continuous music playing at parties,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.djawards.com/en/history.php|title= DJ Awards-History|publisher= djawards.com|accessdate= 28 July 2008|last= Brewster|first= Bill|last2= Browghton|first2= Frank|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080323111406/http://www.djawards.com/en/history.php |archivedate=23 March 2008}}</ref> although his claim to have been the first is disputed; twin turntables were illustrated in the BBC Handbook in 1929 and advertised for sale in ''Gramophone'' magazine in 1931.<ref>{{cite book |last= Donovan|first= Paul|title= The Radio Companion|url= http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=79IaAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Savile%27s+claim+was+disputed%22|accessdate= 3 July 2011|year= 1991|publisher= HarperCollins|location= London|isbn= 0-246-13648-0|page= 198}}</ref>
 
 
 
He became a semi-professional sportsman, competing in the 1951 Tour of Britain cycle race<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A22368558|work= BBC News|title= Tour of Britain's long ride for respect|date= 4 May 2007|accessdate= 18 December 2008}}</ref> and working as a professional wrestler. He said:
 
 
 
{{bquote|If you look at the athletics of it, I've done over 300&nbsp;professional bike races, 212&nbsp;marathons and 107&nbsp;pro fights. [He proudly announces that he lost all of his first 35&nbsp;fights.] No wrestler wanted to go back home and say a long-haired disc jockey had put him down. So from start to finish I got a good hiding. I've broken every bone in my body. I loved it.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,178381,00.html|title= In bed with Jimmy|first= Simon|last= Hattenstone|work= The Guardian|location= London|date= 11 April 2000|accessdate= 18 December 2008}}</ref>}}
 
 
 
Savile lived in Salford from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, the later period with Ray Teret, who became his support DJ, assistant and chauffeur.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/djs-relatives-tell-of-despair-and-sadness-claims-8229385.html|title= DJ's relatives tell of despair and sadness claims|author1= Owen, Jonathan|author2= Cahalan, Paul|newspaper= The Independent on Sunday|location= London|date= 28 October 2012|accessdate= 8 November 2012}}</ref> During this period, Savile referred to Teret as his son, while Teret referred to Savile as Dad.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2213931/Jimmy-Savile-Little-slaves-sordid-boasts-dark-truth-friend--biographer-Dan-Davies.html|title= 'Little slaves', sordid boasts and the dark truth about my 'friend' Jimmy Savile, by the biographer who tried to unmask him|author= Davies, Dan|newspaper= Daily Mail|location= London|date= 6 October 2012|accessdate= 8 November 2012}}</ref> Savile managed the Plaza Ballroom on Oxford Road, Manchester, in the mid-1950s. When he lived in Great Clowes Street in Higher Broughton, Salford, he was often seen sitting on his front door steps. He managed the MeccaLocarno ballroom in Leeds in the late 1950s and early 1960s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.djhistory.com/interviews/jimmy-savile|title=Jimmy Savile|publisher=DJHistory.com|accessdate=16 January 2011}}</ref> as well as the Mecca-owned Palais dance hall in Ilford, Essex, between 1955 and 1956. His Monday evening records-only dance sessions (admission one shilling) were popular with local teens.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/news/sir_jimmy_savile_s_tenure_as_ilford_dance_hall_manager_remembered_1_1114843|newspaper= Ilford Recorder|title= Sir Jimmy Savile's tenure as Ilford dance hall manager remembered|author= Weatherup, Mark|date= 2 November 2011|accessdate= 20 August 2010}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Career==
 
 
 
===Radio===
 
Savile's radio career began as a DJ at Radio Luxembourg from 1958 to 1967. He ran the ''Teen and Twenty Disc Club'' (''TTDC''),<ref>Shepherd, John. ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Music of the World'', Volume 1, Media, Industry and Society, p. 468 (Continuum, 2003). ISBN 0-8264-6321-5</ref> membership for life, on Radio Luxembourg. For a small fee listeners received a certificate and bracelet with a disc inscribed with the show's name. On the BBC television series ''Inside Out'', he said the title ''Teen and Twenty Disc Club'' had been rejected as too long in favour of ''Top of the Pops''.
 
 
 
In 1968, he joined Radio 1, where he presented ''Savile's Travels'', a weekly programme broadcast on Sundays in which he travelled around the UK talking to members of the public. From 1969 to 1973 he fronted ''Speakeasy'', a discussion programme for teenagers. On Radio 1 he presented the Sunday lunchtime show ''Jimmy Savile's Old Record Club'', playing chart Top 10s from years gone by. It was the first show to feature old charts and Savile used a "points system" in an imaginary quiz with the audience to guess the names of the song and artist. It began in 1973 as ''The Double Top Ten Show'', and ended in 1987 as ''The Triple Top Ten Show'' when he left Radio 1 after 19 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/jimmy_savile_page.htm|title= Radio Rewind: Jimmy Savile|publisher=|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> He presented ''The Vintage Chart Show'', playing top tens from 1957 to 1987, on the [[BBC World Service]] from March 1987 until October 1989.
 
 
 
From March 1989 to August 1997 he broadcast on various stations around the UK (mostly taking the Gold format, such as the West Midlands' Xtra AM and the Classic Gold network in Yorkshire) where he revived his Radio 1 shows. In 1994, satirist Chris Morris gave a fake obituary on BBC Radio 1 (as a joke), saying that Savile had collapsed and died, which allegedly drew threats of legal action from Savile and forced an apology from Morris.<ref>{{cite news |last= Joseph|first= Joe|title= Grave concerns|newspaper= The Times|date= 4 March 1995}}</ref> On 25 December 2005, and 1 January 2007, he presented shows on the Real Radio network. The Christmas 2005 show counted down the festive Top 10s of 10, 20 and 30 years previously, while the New Year 2007 show (also taken by Century Radio following its acquisition by GMG) featured Savile recounting anecdotes from his past and playing associated records, mostly from the 1960s and some from the 1970s.
 
 
 
===Television===
 
Savile's first television role was as a presenter of [[Tyne Tees Television]]'s music programme ''Young at Heart'', which aired from May 1960.<ref>{{cite book |last= Phillips|first= Geoff|title= Memories of Tyne Tees Television|year= 1998|publisher= G P Electronic Services|location= Durham|isbn= 0-9522480-6-9|page= 25|ref= harv}}</ref> Although the show was broadcast in black and white, Savile dyed his hair a different colour every week.<ref>{{cite web |title= Sixties Pop and Music Television 1960–64|work= Sixties City |url= http://www.sixtiescity.com/PopTV/PopTV6064.shtm |accessdate= 17 September 2007}}</ref>
 
 
 
On New Year's Day 1964 he presented the first edition of the BBC music chart television programme ''Top of the Pops'' from a television studio in a converted church in Dickenson Road, Rusholme, Manchester. On 30 July 2006, he  co-hosted the final weekly edition, ending it with the words "It's number one, it's still ''Top of the Pops''", before turning off the studio lights after the closing credits.<ref>{{cite news |title= Top of the Pops bids fond goodbye |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5228858.stm |work= BBC News |date= 31 July 2006 |accessdate= 4 October 2012}}</ref> When interviewed by the BBC on 20 November 2008 and asked about the revival of ''Top of the Pops'' for a Christmas comeback, he said he would welcome a "cameo role" in the programme.<ref>{{cite news |title= Sir Jimmy on Top of the Pops return |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7739589.stm |work= BBC News |date= 20 November 2008}}</ref>
 
 
 
In the early 1960s, Savile co-hosted (with Pete Murray) the televised ''New Musical Express'' Poll Winners' Concert, held annually at the Empire Pool in Wembley, with acts such as the Beatles, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, the Who, and many others. On 31 December 1969, he hosted the BBC/ZDF co-production ''Pop Go the Sixties'', shown across Western Europe, celebrating the hits of the decade.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Jimmy Savile dies aged 84 |url= http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/sir-jimmy-savile-dies-aged-84/047126 |accessdate=12 March 2013 |newspaper=Music Week |location =London |date=29 October 2011}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile presented a series of Public Information Films promoting road safety, notably "Clunk Click Every Trip", which promoted the use of seatbelts, the clunk representing the sound of the door and the click the sound of the seatbelt fastening.<ref>{{cite news |last=Massey |first= Ray|title= 'Clunk-click every trip': The modest seatbelt celebrates 50 years of lifesaving today |url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/motoring/article-1206112/Clunk-click-trip-The-modest-seatbelt-celebrates-50-years-lifesaving-today.html#ixzz2LdebuM00 |newspaper= Daily Mail |location= London |date= 17 August 2009 |accessdate= 22 February 2013}}</ref> It led to Savile's Saturday-night chat/variety show from 1973 on BBC1 entitled ''Clunk, Click'', which in 1974 featured the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'' featuring Olivia Newton-John. After two series, ''Clunk, Click'' was replaced by ''Jim'll Fix It'', which he presented from 1975 to 1994. Savile won an award from Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association in 1977 for his "wholesome family entertainment".<ref>Thompson, Ben (9 November 2012). [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/093c3726-24e1-11e2-86fb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2Bv5X3utv "Ban this filth!"]. ''Financial Times'' (London).</ref> He fronted a long-running series of advertisements in the early 1980s for British Rail's InterCity 125, in which he declared "This is the age of the train".<ref>{{cite news |title= The ad that was axed when British Rail heard rumours Savile was a necrophiliac|author= Faull, Jennifer|url= http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/11/25/ad-was-axed-when-british-rail-heard-rumours-savile-was-necrophiliac |work= The Drum |location= Glasgow |date= 26 November 2012 |accessdate= 22 February 2013}}</ref> Savile was twice the subject of the [[Thames Television]] series ''This Is Your Life'' - in January 1970 with Eamonn Andrews and again in December 1990 with Michael Aspel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/the-giller-memorandum/this-is-my-strife-how-i-let-savile-off-the-hook/ |title=This Is My Strife: How I let Savile off the hook |publisher=sportsjournalists.co.uk/ |author=Norman Giller |date= |accessdate=12 May 2013}}</ref>
 
 
 
In an interview by Dr Anthony Clare for the radio series ''In the Psychiatrist's Chair'' in 1991, Savile appeared to be "a man without feelings".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1567778/Professor-Anthony-Clare.html |title= Professor Anthony Clare (obituary) |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location= London|date= 30 October 2007 |accessdate= 1 October 2012}}</ref> "There is something chilling about this 20th-century 'saint'" Clare concluded in 1992 in his introduction to the published transcript of this interview.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/how-jimmy-savile-revealed-all-in-the-psychiatrists-chair|title=How Jimmy Savile revealed all in the psychiatrist's chair|work=Channel 4 News|date=2 November 2012|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> [[Andrew Neil]] interviewed him for the TV series ''Is This Your Life?'' in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/523267|title=Sir Jimmy Savile OBE|work=BFI|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> In 1999 he appeared as a panellist in ''Have I Got News for You''.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile scandal |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19984684 |work=BBC News |date= 18 October 2012 |accessdate= 19 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
In April 2000, he was the subject of an in-depth documentary by Louis Theroux, in the ''When Louis Met...'' series, in which Theroux accompanied British celebrities going about their daily business and interviewed them about their lives and experiences. In the documentary, Savile confided "that he used to beat people up and lock them in a basement during his career as a nightclub manager". ''When Louis Met...Jimmy'' was voted one of the top 50 documentaries of all time in a survey by Britain's [[Channel 4]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Channel 4's "50 Greatest Documentaries"|url= http://www.imdb.com/list/Pixb1R4U0t4 |publisher= IMDb |accessdate= 22 February 2013}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile visited the ''Celebrity Big Brother'' house on 14 and 15 January 2006 and "fixed it" for some housemates to have their wishes granted; Pete Burns received a message from his boyfriend, Michael, and Lynn, his ex-wife, while Dennis Rodman traded Savile's offering for a supply of cigarettes for the other housemates. In 2007, Savile returned to television with ''Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again'' showing some of the most popular fix-its, recreating them with the same people, and making new dreams come true.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a38658/uktv-brings-back-jimll-fix-it.html |title= UKTV brings back 'Jim'll Fix It' |last= Oatts |first= Joanne |date= 26 October 2006 |work= Digital Spy |accessdate= 26 March 2011}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Fundraising, sponsorship and voluntary work==
 
Savile is estimated to have raised £40 million for charity. One cause for which he raised money was Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he volunteered for many years as a porter. He raised money for the Spinal Unit, NSIC (National Spinal Injuries Centre), and St Francis Ward – a ward for children and teens with spinal cord injuries. Savile also volunteered at Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital. In August 1988, he was appointed by junior health minister Edwina Currie<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20019993 |title=Edwina Currie –'nothing to hide' on Savile|date= 21 October 2012|work= BBC News|accessdate= 21 October 2012}}</ref> chair of an interim task force overseeing the management of Broadmoor Hospital, after its board members had been suspended.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1988/nov/07/mentally-ill-offenders-treatment-1#S5LV0501P0_19881107_HOL_188|title= Mentally Ill Offenders: Treatment|author= The Earl of Dundee|publisher= Hansard (Lords)|id= HL Deb 7 November 1988 vol 501 c525|date= 7 November 1988|accessdate= 13 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/12/jimmy-savile-government-civil-claims |title= Jimmy Savile scandal: government could face civil claims|date= 13 October 2012|page= 1|author1= Addley, Esther |author2= O'Carroll, Lisa|newspaper= The Guardian|location= London|accessdate=13 October 2012}}</ref> Savile had his own room at both Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor.<ref>{{cite news |author=Sweeting, Adam |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/29/sir-jimmy-savile |title=Sir Jimmy Savile (obituary) |work= The Guardian |location= London|date= 29 October 2011 |accessdate= 1 October 2012}}</ref> In 1989, Savile started legal proceedings against News Group Newspapers after the ''News of the World'' published an article, in January 1988, suggesting he had been in a position to secure the release of patients from Broadmoor who were considered "dangerous". Savile won on 11 July 1989; News Group paid his legal costs, and he received an apology from editors Kelvin MacKenzie and Patsy Chapman.<ref>{{cite news |title=Savile wins libel action|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RA01AAAAIBAJ&sjid=oKULAAAAIBAJ&pg=5656,3131369&dq=jimmy+savile&hl=en|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=12 July 1989|accessdate=  4 October 2012|page= 7}}</ref> In 2012, it was reported that Savile had sexually abused vulnerable patients at the hospitals.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9601922/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-fourth-British-TV-personality-accused-in-sex-allegations.html |title= Sir Jimmy Savile: fourth British TV personality accused in sex allegations |work= The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=11 October 2012 |author= Evans, Martin |accessdate= 11 October 2012}}</ref>
 
[[File:Jimmy Savile Leeds Marathon 1982 cropped.JPG|300px|right|thumb|Savile at the 1982 Leeds Marathon]]
 
From 1974 to 1988, Savile was the honorary president of Phab (Physically Handicapped in the Able Bodied community).<ref>{{cite web|title= PHAB homepage|url= http://www.phab.org.uk| accessdate=11 November 2011}}</ref> He sponsored medical students performing undergraduate research in the Leeds University Research Enterprise scholarship scheme, donating more than £60,000 every year.<ref>{{cite press release|url= http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/press_releases/current/savile_scholarships.htm|title=Jimmy Savile gives young medics a helping hand|publisher= University of Leeds|date= 13 December 2010|accessdate= 18 December 2010}}</ref> In 2010, the scheme was given a commitment of £500,000 over the following five years.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Sir-Jimmys-500000-for-Leeds.6658890.jp|title= Sir Jimmy's £500,000 for Leeds trainee doctors|newspaper= Yorkshire Evening Post|location= Leeds|date= 13 December 2010|accessdate= 18 December 2010}}</ref> Following Savile's death in October 2011, it was confirmed that a bequest had been made to allow continued support for the programme.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Yorkshire Post |location= Leeds|url= http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/video_now_scarborough_turns_out_for_jimmy_savile_s_final_farewell_1_3954468|title=Now Scarborough turns out for Jimmy Savile's final farewell|date= 10 November 2011|accessdate= 11 November 2011}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile was well known for running marathons (many for Phab, including its annual half marathon around Hyde Park, London). He also cycled from Land's End to John o'Groats in 10 days for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution,<ref>{{cite news|title= Pipes greet Savile at end of travels|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g-I9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=WEgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6062,6166861&dq=jimmy+savile&hl=en|newspaper= The Glasgow Herald|date= 31 May 1972|page=5}}</ref> and ran in the Scottish People's Marathon.<ref>{{cite news|title= Savile in marathon|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ogc-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=n0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3388,3750882&dq=jimmy+savile&hl=en|newspaper= The Glasgow Herald|date= 19 September 1984|page= 7}}</ref> It was reported that he completed the London Marathon at the age of 79; rumours that he was driven round in a lead vehicle as an "observer", were denied by marathon officials.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/jimmy-savile-got-no-help-cheating-says-london-marathon-8228394.html?origin=internalSearch|title= Savile got no help cheating, says London Marathon|date= 26 October 2012|newspaper= London Evening Standard|accessdate= 20 November 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile set up two charities, the Jimmy Savile Stoke Mandeville Hospital Trust in 1981, and the Leeds-based Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/jimmy-savile-linked-charities-to-close-amid-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-by-the-late-broadcaster-8223272.html|title= Jimmy Savile linked charities to close amid allegations of sexual abuse by the late broadcaster|newspaper= The Independent|location= London|date= 23 October 2012|accessdate= 28 October 2012}}</ref> During the sexual abuse scandal in October 2012 the charities announced that they would distribute their funds, of £1.7m and £3.7m respectively, among other charities and then close down.<ref name=bbc2012-10-23>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20038794 |title= Two Jimmy Savile charities to close |work= BBC News |date= 23 October 2012 |accessdate= 28 October 2012}}</ref> He also raised money for several Jewish charities.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9618674/Jimmy-Savile-confessed-to-reporter-that-he-would-be-seen-as-crooked-after-his-death.html |title=Jimmy Savile confessed to reporter that he would be seen as 'crooked' after his death |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location =London |author=Rayner, Gordon |date=18 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Public image and friendships==
 
During his lifetime and at the time of his death, Savile was regarded as "an eccentric adornment to British public life... an ubiquitous and distinctive face on television", who "relished being in the public eye" and was "a shrewd promoter of his own image".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/29/sir-jimmy-savile?INTCMP=SRCH|title= Sir Jimmy Savile obituary|date=29 October 2011 |work=The Guardian |location= London|accessdate= 4 November 2012}}</ref> He was famous for his "bizarre yodel",<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8857428/Sir-Jimmy-Savile.html|title= Obituary: Sir Jimmy Savile |date=29 October 2011 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |accessdate=4 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first= Bernadette |last=Strachan |title= Little White Lies |chapter= 21 |publisher= Hodder |year=2008 |isbn= 978-0-340-89805-5}}</ref> and catchphrases which included "How's about that, then?", "Now then, now then", "Goodness gracious", "As it 'appens" and "Guys and gals". Savile was frequently spoofed for his distinctive appearance, which usually featured a tracksuit or shell suit and gold jewellery. A range of licensed fancy dress costumes was released with his consent in 2009. Savile was often pictured holding a cigar. He claimed to have started smoking cigars at the age of seven, saying "My dad gave me a drag on one at Christmas, thinking it would put me off them forever, but it had the opposite effect."
 
 
 
Savile was a member of Mensa<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4101494.stm |title=Meeting of Mensa minds in Wales |work=BBC News |accessdate=17 September 2010 |date=17 June 2005}}</ref> and the Institute of Advanced Motorists<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7568886.stm |title= Veteran Savile fixes traffic jam |date=18 August 2008 |work= BBC News |accessdate=29 October 2011}}</ref> and drove a Rolls-Royce.<ref>{{cite news |title= Obituary: Sir Jimmy Savile |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15053431 |accessdate=29 October 2011 |work=BBC News |date=29 October 2011}}</ref> He was made a life member of the British Gypsy Council in 1975, becoming the first "outsider" to be made a member.<ref>{{cite news |title= Gipsies honour Jimmy Savile |url= http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0G1AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0qcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4595,2498647&dq=jimmy+savile&hl=en |newspaper= Evening Times |location =Glasgow |date=16 January 1975 |page= 9}}</ref> He was chieftain of the Lochaber Highland Games for many years, and owned a house in Glen Coe; his appearance on the final edition of ''Top of the Pops'' in 2006 was pre-recorded as it clashed with the games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/sir_jimmy_savile_the_medallion_man_with_a_heart_of_gold_1_1938200|title=Sir Jimmy Savile: The medallion man with a heart of gold|author= Ferguson, Brian|location= Edinburgh|work= The Scotsman|date= 29 October 2011|accessdate= 20 November 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
Through his support of charities, Savile became a friend of [[Margaret Thatcher]], who in 1981 described his work as "marvellous".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/104766|title=Margaret Thatcher: Radio Interview for IRN|date=31 December 2011|publisher=Margaret Thatcher Foundation| accessdate=13 October 2012}}</ref> He reportedly spent 11 consecutive New Year's Eves at Chequers with Thatcher and her family.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile, the big fixer |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/8857759/Jimmy-Savile-the-big-fixer.html |date= 30 October 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |accessdate=13 October 2012}}</ref> Eleven Christmases was untrue according to Thatcher's daughter, Carol, cited from the ''Daily Mail'' 2008 in the ''New York Times'' obituary.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile, TV Personality, Dies at 84 |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/arts/television/jimmy-savile-tv-personality-dies-at-84.html |date= 2 November 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=3 March 2014}}</ref> Letters released in December 2012 by the National Archives under the thirty year rule confirm the close friendship between Savile and Thatcher. Some of the correspondence was heavily redacted before publication, using exemptions under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/dec/28/savile-access-thatcher-secret-files|title= Savile's extraordinary access to Thatcher detailed in secret files|date= 28 December 2012|newspaper= The Guardian|author= Bowcott, Owen|location= London|accessdate= 28 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/revealed-jimmy-saviles-close-friendship-with-margaret-thatcher-8432351.html|author= Milmo, Cahal|title= Revealed: Jimmy Savile's close friendship with Margaret Thatcher|date= 28 December 2012|newspaper= The Independent|location= London|accessdate= 28 December 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
In 1984, he was accepted as a member of the Athenaeum, a gentlemen's club in London's Pall Mall, after being proposed by Cardinal Basil Hume.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/9596850/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-causes-anguish-at-the-Athenaeum.html |title= Sir Jimmy Savile causes anguish at the Athenaeum |date=10 October 2012 |author= Walker, Tim |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location=London |accessdate=30 October 2012}}</ref> He met Prince Charles through mutual charity interests, and Charles reportedly sent him gifts on his 80th birthday and a note reading: "Nobody will ever know what you have done for this country, Jimmy. This is to go some way in thanking you for that."<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile caused concern with behaviour on visits to Prince Charles |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/29/jimmy-savile-behaviour-prince-charles |author= Booth, Robert |accessdate=30 October 2012 |newspaper= The Guardian |location= London |date= 30 October 2012 |page=1}}</ref>
 
 
 
A lifelong bachelor, Savile lived with his mother (whom he referred to as "The Duchess") and kept her bedroom and wardrobe exactly as it was when she died. Every year he had her clothes dry cleaned. Savile's personal relationships were rarely the subject of media report or comment in his lifetime. In his autobiography he claimed he had had many sexual relations with women, and that "there have been trains and, with apologies to the hit parade, boats and planes (I am a member of the 40,000ft club) and bushes and fields, corridors, doorways, floors, chairs, slag heaps, desks and probably everything except the celebrated chandelier and ironing board."<ref>''As It Happens'', pp. 138–139</ref>
 
 
 
==Health and death==
 
[[File:Sir Jimmy Saville's Coffin on display in the Queen's Hotel, Leeds, 8th November 2011.jpg| thumb|Savile's coffin on display at the Queens Hotel in Leeds, 8 November 2011]]
 
On 9 August 1997, Savile underwent a three-hour quadruple heart-bypass operation at Killingbeck Hospital in Leeds, having known he needed the surgery for at least four years after attending regular check-ups.<ref>{{cite news|title= Heart surgeons fix it for Sir Jimmy Savile|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/heart-surgeons-fix-it-for-sir-jimmy-savile-1244411.html|work= The Independent|location= London|date= 9 August 1997|accessdate= 4 October 2012}}</ref> He arranged for a bench in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, to be dedicated to his memory, with a plaque saying 'Jimmy Savile – but not just yet!'<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15517475|title= Sir Jimmy Savile statue considered for Scarborough|date= 31 October 2011|work= BBC News|accessdate= 17 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.scarborough-in-pictures.co.uk/scarboroughjimmy.html|title= Sir Jimmy Savile OBE|publisher=Scarborough in Pictures|accessdate= 28 July 2008}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile was found dead at his home in Roundhay on 29 October 2011, two days before his 85th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |title=DJ and TV presenter Jimmy Savile dies, aged 84|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15507374|accessdate= 29 October 2011|work= BBC News|date= 29 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Veteran Star Sir Jimmy Savile Dies Aged 84|url= http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16099015|accessdate= 29 October 2011|work=Sky News|date= 29 October 2011}}</ref> He had been in hospital with pneumonia, and his death was not suspicious.
 
 
 
His closed satin gold coffin was displayed at the Queens Hotel in Leeds,<ref>{{cite web|last= Tubb|first= Gerard|title= Sir Jimmy Savile's Coffin Put in Leeds Bar|url= http://uk.news.yahoo.com/sir-jimmy-saviles-coffin-put-leeds-bar-030704985.html|work= Sky News|date= 8 November 2011|accessdate= 8 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Sir Jimmy Savile: More time for fans to view gold coffin|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-15632264|date= 8 November 2011|work= BBC News|accessdate=8 November 2011}}</ref> with the last cigar he smoked and his two ''This Is Your Life'' books.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15639145|title= Sir Jimmy Savile bid farewell by people of Leeds|date= 8 November 2011|work= BBC News|accessdate= 8 November 2011}}</ref> Around 4,000 people visited to pay tribute.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-15632264|title= Sir Jimmy Savile: Thousands of fans view coffin|date=8 November 2011 |work= BBC News|accessdate= 10 November 2011}}</ref> His funeral took place at Leeds Cathedral on 9 November 2011,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-15647363|title= Sir Jimmy Savile's funeral takes place at Leeds Cathedral|date= 9 November 2011 |work= BBC News|accessdate= 9 November 2011}}</ref> and he was buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Scarborough.<ref>{{cite news |title= Gold coffin among final wishes of Leeds's own Sir Jimmy Savile|url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/central-leeds/gold_coffin_among_final_wishes_of_leeds_s_own_sir_jimmy_savile_updated_1_3925176|accessdate= 2 November 2011|newspaper= Yorkshire Evening Post|location= Leeds|date= 2 November 2011|author= Bellamy, Alison}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-15667111|title= Jimmy Savile buried in Scarborough cemetery|date=10 November 2011|work=BBC News |accessdate= 10 November 2011}}</ref> As specified in his will, his coffin was inclined at 45&nbsp;degrees to fulfil his wish to "see the sea".<ref>{{cite news|title= How Sir Jim's wish 'to see the sea' will be granted|date= 9 November 2011|work= The Scarborough News|url= http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/local/how_sir_jim_s_wish_to_see_the_sea_will_be_granted_1_3950736|accessdate= 11 November 2011}}</ref> The coffin was encased in concrete "as a security measure".<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-15717221|title= Sir Jimmy Savile's coffin encased in concrete|date=  14 November 2011|accessdate= 15 November 2011|work= BBC News}}</ref>
 
 
 
An auction of Savile's possessions was conducted at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, on 30 July 2012, with the proceeds going to charity. His silver Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible was sold for £130,000 to an internet bidder. The vehicle's number plate, JS 247, featured the original medium wave wavelength used by [[BBC Radio 1]] (247 metres).<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-19043994|title= Sir Jimmy Savile goods auction raises £320,000 for his charities|date= 31 July 2012|accessdate= 25 October 2012|work= BBC News}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Allegations of sexual abuse==
 
 
 
===During his lifetime===
 
During Savile's lifetime, sporadic allegations of child abuse were made against him dating back to 1963,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21756150 |title=The missed chances to get Jimmy Savile |work=BBC News |date=12 March 2013 |accessdate=5 May 2013}}</ref> but only became widely publicised after his death. Savile claimed the key to his success on ''Jim'll Fix It'' had been that he disliked children, although he later admitted to saying this to deflect scrutiny of his personal life. He did not own a computer as he did not want anybody to think he was downloading child pornography. His autobiography ''As it Happens'' (1974, reprinted as ''Love is an Uphill Thing'', 1976) contains admissions of improper sexual conduct which appear to have passed unnoticed during his lifetime.<ref>Tweedie, Neil; Rowley, Tom (26 October 2012). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9636035/Jimmy-Savile-a-strange-and-sordid-life-unravels-after-death.html "Jimmy Savile: a strange and sordid life unravels after death"]. ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London).</ref>
 
 
 
Former Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd vocalist John Lydon alluded to sordid conduct by Savile, as well as suppression of widely held knowledge about such activity, in an October 1978 interview recorded for [[BBC Radio 1]]. Lydon stated: "I'd like to kill Jimmy Savile; I think he's a hypocrite. I bet he's into all kinds of seediness that we all know about, but are not allowed to talk about. I know some rumours." He added: "I bet none of this will be allowed out."<ref>Interview With John Lydon (BBC Radio 1, ''Rock On'', 28 October 1978). ''Public Image: First Issue'' (2013 remaster). Light in the Attic Records. Disc 2, track 2.</ref> As predicted, the comment was edited out by the BBC prior to broadcasting, but the complete interview was included as a bonus track on a re-release of Public Image Ltd's 1978 debut album ''Public Image: First Issue'' in 2013, after Savile's death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-public-image-ltd-tom-robinson-band-michael-chapman-bobby-whitlock|title=Reissue CDs Weekly: Public Image Ltd, Tom Robinson Band, Michael Chapman, Bobby Whitlock|last=Tyler|first=Kieron|date=7 July 2013|publisher=The Arts Desk|accessdate=19 January 2014}}</ref> In October 2014, Lydon expanded on his original quote, saying: "By killed I meant locking him up and stopping him assaulting young children... I'm disgusted at the media pretending they weren't aware."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/what-s-on/music/audio-john-lydon-outspoken-at-sheffield-s-off-the-shelf-1-6899790|title=John Lydon outspoken at Sheffield’s Off The Shelf|date=16 October 2014|website=Sheffield Telegraph|publisher=Johnston Press|accessdate=22 October 2014}}</ref>
 
 
 
Former professional wrestler Adrian Street described in a November 2013 interview how "Savile used to go on and on about the young girls who’d wait in line for him outside his dressing room… He'd  pick the ones he wanted and say to the rest, 'Unlucky, come back again tomorrow night’." Savile, who cultivated a "tough guy" gimmick promoted by his entourage, was attacked with legitimate strikes during a 1971 bout with Street, who commented that had he "known then the full extent of what I know about [Savile] now, I’d have given him an even bigger hiding – were that physically possible.”<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bevan|first1=Nathan|title='I beat Jimmy Savile black and blue'|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/i-beat-jimmy-savile-black-6265408|accessdate=27 December 2014|work=WalesOnline|date=3 November 2013}}</ref>
 
 
 
In a 1990 interview for ''The Independent on Sunday'', Lynn Barber asked him about rumours that he liked "little girls". Savile's reply was that, as he worked in the pop music business, "...the young girls in question don't gather round me because of me – it's because I know the people they love, the stars...  I am of no interest to them."<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/lynn-barber-i-was-nervous-when-i-told-jimmy-savile-people-say-you-like-little-girls-8193169.html|title= Lynn Barber: I was nervous when I told Jimmy Savile, 'People say you like little girls' |first= Lynn |last= Barber |work= The Independent on Sunday |date=2 October 2012 |accessdate=5 November 2012 |location= London}}</ref> In April 2000, in a documentary by Louis Theroux, ''When Louis Met... Jimmy'', Savile acknowledged "salacious tabloid people" had raised rumours about whether he was a paedophile, and said, "I know I'm not."<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/culture/2012/10/when-louis-asked-jimmy-about-being-paedophile |title= When Louis asked Jimmy about being a paedophile |first=Alex |last=Hern |work= [[New Statesman]] |location= London |date=3 October 2012 |accessdate=17 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
In 2007, Savile was interviewed under caution by police investigating an allegation of indecent assault in the 1970s at the now-closed Duncroft Approved School for Girls near Staines, Surrey, where he was a regular visitor. The [[Crown Prosecution Service]] advised there was insufficient evidence to take any further action and no charges were brought.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9578870/Jimmy-Savile-interviewed-under-caution-over-indecent-assault-allegation.html |title= Jimmy Savile interviewed under caution over indecent assault allegation |date=1 October 2012 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |accessdate=1 October 2012 |author=Marsden, Sam |author2= Alleyne, Richard}}</ref> In March 2008, Savile started legal proceedings against ''The Sun'', which had linked him in several articles to child abuse at the [[Jersey]] children's home Haut de la Garenne.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.thelawyer.com/jimmy-savile-turns-to-fox-hayes-for-action-against-the-sun/131780.article |title= Jimmy Savile turns to Fox Hayes for action against The Sun |work= The Lawyer |location= London |author= Goswami, Nina |date=17 March 2008 |accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref> He denied visiting Haut de la Garenne, but later admitted he had done so following the publication of a photograph showing him at the home surrounded by children.<ref>{{cite news |title= Sir Jimmy Savile: He raped me as a teenager claims woman |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9583373/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-He-raped-me-as-a-teenager-claims-woman.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=3 October 2012 |accessdate=3 October 2012 |author= Alleyne, Richard}}</ref> The States of Jersey Police said that in 2008 an allegation of an indecent assault by Savile at the home in the 1970s had been investigated, but there had been insufficient evidence to proceed.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-19802630 |title= Jimmy Savile named in Jersey children's home abuse inquiry |work= BBC News |date=2 October 2012 |accessdate=2 October 2012}}</ref> In 2009 in a taped interview with his biographer, Savile defended pop star Gary Glitter, convicted in 1999 of possession of child pornography, whom he described as a celebrity being vilified for watching 'dodgy films': "It were for his own gratification. Whether it was right or wrong is up to him as a person... they [viewers] didn't do anything wrong but they are then demonised." This was not published at the time, and the recording was not released until after Savile's death.<ref>{{cite news |last= Alleyne |first= Richard |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9578230/Jimmy-Savile-claimed-paedophile-Gary-Glitter-did-nothing-wrong.html |title=Jimmy Savile claimed paedophile Gary Glitter 'did nothing wrong' |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date=31 May 2011 |location= London |accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
In 2012, Sir Roger Jones, a former BBC governor for Wales and chairman of BBC charity ''Children in Need'', disclosed that more than a decade before Savile's death he had banned Savile from involvement in the charity, because he felt Savile's behaviour was "strange" and "suspicious", and had heard unsubstantiated rumours about his activities.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile was banned from Children in Need, says Sir Roger Jones |work=Wales Online |url= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/10/29/jimmy-savile-was-banned-from-children-in-need-says-sir-roger-jones-91466-32124571/| accessdate=29 October 2012| date= 29 October 2012}}</ref> Former Royal Family press secretary Dickie Arbiter said Savile's behaviour had raised "concern and suspicion" when Savile acted as an informal marriage counsellor between Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the late 1980s, although no reports had been made.
 
 
 
===After his death===
 
Immediately after Savile's death, the BBC's ''[[Newsnight]]'' programme began an investigation into reports that he was a sexual abuser. [[Meirion Jones]] and [[Liz MacKean]] interviewed one victim on camera and others agreed to have their stories told. The interviewees alleged abuse at Duncroft approved school for girls in Staines, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and the BBC. The item was scheduled for broadcast in ''Newsnight'' on 7 December 2011, but was never shown and the BBC broadcast tributes to Savile at Christmas 2011. ''Newsnight'' also discovered that Surrey Police had investigated allegations of abuse against Savile.<ref>{{cite news|last=Halliday|first=Josh|title= Jimmy Savile scandal: Newsnight emails timeline|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/oct/22/jimmy-savile-bbc|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 October 2012}}</ref> In December 2012, a review of the BBC's handling of the issue by [[Nick Pollard]] was published, describing the decision not to broadcast the ''Newsnight'' investigation as "flawed". The review said that Jones and MacKean had found "cogent evidence" that Savile was an abuser. [[George Entwistle]], who had been told about the plan to broadcast the ''Newsnight'' item, was described by the review as "unnecessarily cautious, and an opportunity was lost".<ref>{{cite news|last=Plunkett|first=John|title=Newsnight's Jimmy Savile story: key points from the Pollard report|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/19/pollard-report-newsnight-jimmy-savile|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20778261|title= BBC criticised for Newsnight axed Jimmy Savile report|date=19 December 2012 |work= BBC News |accessdate=13 March 2014}}</ref>
 
 
 
There was no public mention of the ''Newsnight'' investigation into Savile at the time but in early 2012, several newspapers reported that BBC had investigated allegations of sexual abuse immediately after his death, but the report was not broadcast. ''[[The Oldie]]'' alleged there had been a cover-up by the BBC.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9073142/BBC-buried-Savile-sex-abuse-claims-to-save-its-reputation.html |title= BBC 'buried Savile sex abuse claims to save its reputation' |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |author= Singh, Anita |location= London |date=10 February 2012 |accessdate=20 November 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
On 28 September 2012, almost a year after his death, [[ITV]] said it would broadcast a documentary, ''Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile''. The documentary, presented by [[Mark Williams-Thomas]] who had been a consultant on the original ''Newsnight'' investigation, revealed claims by up to 10 women, including one aged under 14 at the time, that they had been sexually molested or raped by Savile during the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9576863/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-abused-us-at-the-BBC-claim-women.html |title= 'Sir Jimmy Savile abused us at the BBC', claim women |date= 30 September 2012 |newspaper= The Sunday Telegraph |location= London |accessdate=30 September 2012 |author= Adams, Stephen}}</ref> The announcement attracted national attention, and more reports and claims of abuse against him accumulated. The documentary was broadcast on 3 October 2012. The next day, the [[Metropolitan Police]] said the Child Abuse Investigation Command would assess the allegations.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19837906 |title= Met Police to assess Jimmy Savile claims |date=4 October 2012 |work= BBC News |accessdate=4 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
By 19 October 2012, police were pursuing 400 lines of inquiry based on testimony from 200 witnesses via 14 police forces across the UK. They described the alleged abuse as "on an unprecedented scale", and the number of potential victims as "staggering".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9620149/Jimmy-Savile-police-launch-criminal-investigation-after-victims-claim-some-abusers-are-still-alive.html |author= Rayner, Gordon |title= Jimmy Savile: police launch criminal investigation after victims claim some abusers are still alive |work=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=19 October 2012 |accessdate=19 October 2012}}</ref> Investigations, codenamed [[Operation Yewtree]], were opened to identify criminal conduct related to Savile's activities by the Metropolitan Police and the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] into why a prosecution had been dropped as unlikely to succeed in 2009. By 25 October, police reported the number of possible victims was approaching 300.
 
 
 
On 12 November 2012, the Metropolitan Police announced the scale of sexual allegations reported against Savile was "unprecedented" in Britain: a total of 450 alleged victims had contacted the police in the ten weeks since the investigation was launched. Officers recorded 199 crimes in 17 police force areas in which Savile was a suspect, among them 31 allegations of rape in seven force areas.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9740435/Jimmy-Saviles-victims-accuse-him-of-200-crimes-including-31-rapes.html |title= Jimmy Savile's victims accuse him of 200 crimes, including 31 rapes |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=12 December 2012 |author= Marsden, Sam}}</ref> Analysis of the report showed 82% of those who came forward to report abuse were female and 80% were children or young people at the time of the incidents.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20697738 |title= Jimmy Savile abuse: Number of alleged victims reaches 450 |work= BBC News |date=12 December 2012 |accessdate=12 December 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
The developing scandal led to inquiries into practices at the BBC and the [[National Health Service]]. It was alleged that rumours of Savile's activities had circulated at the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s, but no action had been taken. Savile was trusted with keys and unsupervised access to patients including the mentally and physically disabled at some hospitals.<ref>{{cite news |last= Greenhill|first= Sam|title= Savile had set of Broadmoor keys: As scandal grows, how sick star had access to mentally ill patients|url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2216489/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-set-Broadmoor-keys-How-sick-star-access-mentally-ill-patients.html|accessdate= 28 October 2012|newspaper= Daily Mail|location= London|date= 11 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Abuse Claims: Savile Had Keys To Broadmoor|url= http://news.sky.com/story/996356/abuse-claims-savile-had-keys-to-broadmoor|accessdate= 23 November 2012|work=Sky News|date= 11 October 2012}}</ref> The Director-General of the BBC, [[George Entwistle]], apologised for what had happened, and on 16 October 2012 appointed former High Court judge Dame Janet Smith to review the culture and practices of the BBC during the time Savile worked there,<ref>{{cite news |first= Rowena |last= Mason |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9613014/BBCs-Jimmy-Savile-probe-to-be-led-by-Harold-Shipman-inquiry-judge.html |title= BBC's Jimmy Savile probe to be led by Harold Shipman inquiry judge |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=16 October 2012 |accessdate=16 October 2012}}</ref> and [[Nick Pollard]], a former [[Sky News]] executive, was appointed to look at why the ''Newsnight'' investigation into Savile's activities was dropped shortly before transmission in December 2011.
 
 
 
On 22 October 2012, the BBC programme ''Panorama'' broadcast an investigation into ''Newsnight'' and found evidence suggesting "senior manager" pressure;<ref>{{cite news |first1= Christopher |last1= Hope |first2= Gordon |last2= Rayner |title= Jimmy Savile: BBC scrapped investigation after Newsnight came 'under pressure' from senior managers |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9624583/Jimmy-Savile-BBC-scrapped-investigation-after-Newsnight-came-under-pressure-from-senior-managers.html |accessdate=28 October 2012 |newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph |location= London |date=21 October 2012}}</ref> on the same day ''Newsnight'' editor [[Peter Rippon]] "stepped down" with immediate effect.<ref>{{cite news |first= Rob |last= Williams |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/newsnight-editor-peter-rippon-steps-aside-over-jimmy-savile-claims-8220491.html|title= Newsnight editor Peter Rippon 'steps aside' over Jimmy Savile claims |newspaper=The Independent |location= London |date=22 October 2012 |accessdate=22 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20024904 |work=BBC News |title=BBC Newsnight editor steps aside over Jimmy Savile claims |date=22 October 2012 |accessdate=22 October 2012}}</ref> The Department of Health appointed former barrister Kate Lampard to chair and oversee its investigations into Savile's activities at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Broadmoor Hospital and other hospitals and facilities in England.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19980979|title= Jimmy Savile scandal: Kate Lampard to lead NHS investigation |work=BBC News |date=17 October 2012 |accessdate=17 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
''Exposure Update: The Jimmy Savile Investigation'', was shown on ITV on 21 November 2012.<ref>{{cite news |author= Midgley, Neil |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9694258/The-Jimmy-Savile-Investigation-Exposure-Update-ITV1-review.html |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location= London |title= The Jimmy Savile Investigation: Exposure Update, ITV1, review |date=22 November 2012 |accessdate=23 November 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
In March 2013 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary reported that 214 of the complaints that had been made against Savile after his death would have been criminal offences if they had been reported at the time. Sixteen victims reported being raped by Savile when they were under 16 (the age of consent in England) and four of those had been under the age of ten. Thirteen others reported serious sexual assaults by Savile including four who had been under 10 years old. Another ten victims reported being raped by Savile after the age of 16.<ref>[http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/review-into-allegations-and-intelligence-material-concerning-jimmy-savile.pdf "Mistakes were made"]</ref>
 
 
 
===Aftermath===
 
Within a month of the child abuse scandal breaking, many places and organisations named after or connected to Savile were renamed or had his name removed.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20165466|title= Jimmy Savile: Erasing the memory|date= 1 November 2012|work= BBC News|author= Rohrer, Finlo}}</ref> A memorial plaque on the wall of Savile's former home in Scarborough was removed in early October 2012 after it was defaced with graffiti.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-19822384 |title= Sir Jimmy Savile Scarborough plaque defaced and removed|date= 4 October 2012|accessdate= 5 October 2012|work= BBC News}}</ref> A wooden statue of Savile at Scotstoun Leisure Centre in Glasgow was also removed around the same time.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19822296 |title= Sir Jimmy Savile statue removed from Scotstoun Leisure Centre|date= 3 October 2012|accessdate= 5 October 2012|work= BBC News}}</ref> A sign on a footpath in Scarborough bearing Savile's surname was removed.<ref>{{cite news |title= Sir Jimmy Savile Scarborough footpath sign removed |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-19867893|work= BBC News|date= 8 October 2012|accessdate= 8 October 2012}}</ref> Savile's Hall, the conference centre at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, was renamed New Dock Hall.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/10/23/saviles-hall-set-rebrand-new-dock-hall-following-jimmy-savile-scandal|title= Savile's Hall set to rebrand as New Dock Hall following Jimmy Savile scandal|work= The Drum|location= Glasgow|date= 23 October 2012|accessdate= 25 October 2012}}</ref> Two registered charities founded in his name to fight "poverty and sickness and other charitable purposes" announced they were too closely tied to his name to be sustainable and would close and distribute their funds to other charities, so as to avoid harm to beneficiaries from future media attention.<ref>{{cite news |title= Two Jimmy Savile charities to close|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20038794|accessdate= 29 October 2012|work= BBC News|date= 23 October 2012}}</ref> On 28 October it was reported that Savile's cottage in Glen Coe had been vandalised with spray-paint and the door damaged.<ref>{{cite news|last=Booth|first=Robert|title= Gary Glitter arrested by police on Jimmy Savile case|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2012/oct/28/gary-glitter-arrest-jimmy-savile|accessdate=29 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=29 October 2012|page= 4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Savile's Glencoe home vandalised|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20116281|work= BBC News|accessdate= 29 October 2012|date= 28 October 2012}}</ref> The cottage was sold in May 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Steve|title= Jimmy Savile’s Glencoe home on sale for £310k|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/jimmy-savile-s-glencoe-home-on-sale-for-310k-1-2932120|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=The Scotsman|location=Edinburgh|date=16 May 2013|page=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Jimmy Savile cottage in Glencoe sells for £212,000|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22713282|accessdate=31 May 2013|work=BBC News |date=30 May 2013}}</ref>
 
 
 
On 9 October 2012, relatives said the headstone of Savile's grave would be removed, destroyed and sent to landfill.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile's £4,000 gravestone to be dismantled following allegations |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9596698/Jimmy-Saviles-4000-gravestone-to-be-dismantled-following-allegations.html |accessdate= 29 October 2012|newspaper= The Daily Telegraph|location= London|date= 9 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-19893373|title= Jimmy Savile's headstone removed from Scarborough cemetery|date=10 October 2012|accessdate= 10 October 2012|work= BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Inscription on Savile's headstone to be ground off|url= http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-10-10/inscription-on-saviles-headstone-to-be-ground-off|accessdate= 29 October 2012|work= ITV News|date=10 October 2012}}</ref> The Savile family expressed their sorrow for the "anguish" of the victims and "respect [for] public opinion".<ref>{{cite news |last=Barrett |first=David |title=Jimmy Savile: relatives speak of sympathy for victims and 'anguish' at child sex allegations |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9637711/Jimmy-Savile-relatives-speak-of-sympathy-for-victims-and-anguish-at-child-sex-allegations.html |accessdate=29 October 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=27 October 2012}}</ref></blockquote> Savile's body is interred in the cemetery in Scarborough, although it has been proposed that it be exhumed and cremated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jimmy Savile's nephew Guy Marsden in exhumation call|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20243847|accessdate= 19 January 2015|work= BBC News|date=7 November 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
Savile's estate, believed to be worth about £4 million, was frozen by its executors, the NatWest bank, in view of the possibility that those alleging that they had been assaulted by Savile could make claims for damages.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jimmy Savile estate frozen after abuse claims |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20162980 |accessdate=1 November 2012 |work=BBC News |date=1 November 2012}}</ref> But after "a range of expenses" were charged to the estate, a remainder of about £3.3 million was available to compensate victims, with those victims not having a claim against another entity (such as the [[BBC]] or the [[National Health Service]]) given first priority, with all victims limited to a maximum claim of £60,000 against all entities combined, a compensation scheme approved by the courts.<ref>{{cite news|title=All of Jimmy Savile's estate to be used to settle abuse claims|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27236420|accessdate=26 February 2015|work= BBC News|date=1 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jimmy Savile: Victims' compensation scheme approved|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30494996|accessdate=26 February 2015|work= BBC News|date=16 December 2014}}</ref>
 
 
 
An authorised biography, ''How's About That Then?'', by Alison Bellamy, was published in June 2012. After the claims made against him were published, the author said that, in the light of the allegations, she felt "let down and betrayed" by Savile.<ref>{{cite news |title= Betrayed by my good friend Jimmy Savile |url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/betrayed-by-my-good-friend-jimmy-savile-1-5072056 |accessdate=1 May 2013 |work=Yorkshire Evening Post |location =Leeds |date=29 October 2012}}</ref>
 
 
 
On 26 June 2014, UK Secretary of State for Health [[Jeremy Hunt]] delivered a public apology in the [[House of Commons]] to the patients of the [[National Health Service]] abused by Savile. He confirmed that complaints had been raised before 2012 but were ignored by the bureaucratic system:{{quote|Savile was a callous, opportunistic, wicked predator who abused and raped individuals, many of them patients and young people, who expected and had a right to expect to be safe. His actions span five decades -- from the 1960s to 2010. ... As a nation at that time we held Savile in our affection as a somewhat eccentric national treasure with a strong commitment to charitable causes. Today's reports show that in reality he was a sickening and prolific sexual abuser who repeatedly exploited the trust of a nation for his own vile purposes.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/26/world/europe/uk-jimmy-savile-abuse-report/ | title=Rapes, abuse, possible necrophilia: DJ Jimmy Savile's hospital horrors detailed | work=CNN |date=26 June 2014 |accessdate=26 June 2014 |author=Smith-Spark, Laura}}</ref>| Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health}}
 
 
 
Psychologist Oliver James, in a 2014 piece for ''[[The Guardian]]'', wrote that Savile had the dark triad of personality characteristics: [[psychopathy]], [[Machiavellianism]] and [[narcissism]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/26/inside-the-mind-of-jimmy-savile |title= Inside the mind of Jimmy Savile |work= The Guardian |location= London |author=James, Oliver |date=26 June 2014 |accessdate=30 July 2014}}</ref> Richard Harrison, a prominent psychiatric nurse at Broadmoor Hospital, had in 2012 said that Savile was long regarded by staff as "a man with a severe personality disorder and a liking for children". Another nurse, Bob Allen, agreed with assessments of Savile as a psychopath, and stated: "A lot of the staff said he should be behind bars." Allen also told how he once reported Savile to his supervisor for improper conduct with a juvenile, but the issue was ignored by senior management.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/9647718/Broadmoor-staff-said-Jimmy-Savile-was-a-psychopath-with-a-liking-for-children.html|title=Broadmoor staff said Jimmy Savile was a 'psychopath' with a 'liking for children'|date=1 November 2012|website=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|accessdate=26 September 2014}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Honours and awards==
 
* In the 1972 New Year Honours, Savile was appointed an OBE.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45554|date=31 December 1971|startpage=12|endpage=|supp=yes|accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref>
 
* In the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours he was made a Knight Bachelor "for charitable services",<ref>{{London Gazette|issue= 52173|date= 15 June 1990|startpage= 2|endpage=|supp=|accessdate= 26 November 2010}}</ref> entitled to use the honorific prefix "Sir". Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] had made four attempts to have him knighted before succeeding in her final year in office.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/margaret-thatcher-made-repeated-attempts-to-get-jimmy-savile-knighted--despite-pleas-from-concerned-aides-8713407.html |title=Margaret Thatcher made repeated attempts to get Jimmy Savile knighted – despite pleas from concerned aides |date=17 July 2013 |work=The Independent |accessdate=17 July 2013}}</ref> Following the allegations of sexual abuse, British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] suggested in October 2012 that it would be possible for Savile's honours to be rescinded by the Honours Forfeiture Committee. A Cabinet Office spokesman said that there was no procedure to posthumously revoke an OBE or knighthood, as these honours automatically expire when a person dies, but that the committee might consider introducing a process to do so in the light of Savile's case.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19884359 |title=Could Jimmy Savile lose knighthood over abuse claims? |date=9 October 2012 |work=BBC News |accessdate=8 October 2012}}</ref>
 
* Savile was honoured with a Papal knighthood by being made a Knight Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great (KCSG) by [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16106367 |title= Fans Flock To Cathedral Service For Sir Jimmy Savile |last=Tubb |first=Gerard |date=9 November 2011 |work=Sky News |accessdate=10 November 2011}}</ref> After the scandal broke, the Catholic Church in England and Wales asked the Holy See to consider stripping Savile of the honour. In October 2012, Father Federico Lombardi told BBC News:<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20108980 |title=Jimmy Savile: Catholic Church bid to remove papal knighthood |date=26 October 2012 |work=BBC News |accessdate=26 October 2012}}</ref>
 
{{quote|[The Holy See] firmly condemns the horrible crimes of sexual abuse of minors, [and the honour] in the light of recent information should certainly not have been bestowed ... As there does not exist any permanent official list of persons who have received papal honours in the past, it is not possible to strike anyone off a list that does not exist. The names of recipients of papal honours do not appear in the Pontifical Year Book and the honour expires with the death of the individual.}}
 
* He was awarded an honorary doctorate of law (LLD) by the University of Leeds in 1986<ref>{{cite news |title= University of Leeds using shamed Savile's cash |url= http://www.leedsstudent.org/2012-10-12/ls1/ls1-news/uni-using-cash-from-shamed-savile |accessdate=14 October 2012 |newspaper= Leeds Student |date=12 October 2012}}</ref> which was revoked in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= University of Leeds |title=Honorary graduates 2014 |url= http://www.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/file/1401/honorary_graduates_2014}}</ref>
 
* He was an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR).<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/oct/30/jimmy-savile-top-of-pops-dead |title= Jimmy Savile, eccentric king of children's TV, dies aged 84 |date=30 October 2011 |work=The Observer |accessdate=3 November 2011 |location=London |first=Tracy |last=McVeigh}}</ref>
 
* He had the Cross of Merit of the Order pro merito Melitensi.<ref>Appendix, list of recipients of the Order pro merito Melitensi of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta published in the Annual Report of the British Association, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 2010.</ref>
 
 
 
Many honours are considered to cease on the death of the holder; some of Savile's honours were considered no longer applicable, and did not need to be rescinded. In other cases honours were withdrawn, or removed from lists:
 
 
 
* In the 1970s he was awarded an honorary green beret by the Royal Marines for completing the Royal Marine Commando speed march, {{convert|30|mi|km}} across Dartmoor carrying {{convert|30|lb|kg}} of kit.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2009/07/13/runners-for-charlotte-take-on-30-mile-marine-challenge |title=Runners for Charlotte take on 30-mile Marine challenge |newspaper= The Guernsey Press |date=13 July 2009 |accessdate=11 June 2010 |location=St Peter Port}}</ref> Following the allegations of child abuse, the Royal Marines removed all traces of his memory; the "green beret" award itself automatically died with him.<ref>{{cite news |title= Royal Marines 'erase' the memory of Jimmy Savile |url= http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/royal_marines_erase_the_memory_of_jimmy_savile_1_1662912 |accessdate=27 October 2012 |date=19 October 2012 |work=Exmouth Journal}}</ref>
 
* He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bedfordshire in 2009, which was posthumously rescinded in October 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9605293/Sir-Jimmy-Savile-is-stripped-of-his-honorary-doctorate.html |title=Sir Jimmy Savile is stripped of his honorary doctorate |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=13 October 2012 |accessdate=14 October 2012}}</ref>
 
* He was made a Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014103743/http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=8172 |title=Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen (archived copy from 2011)|publisher=Scarborough Borough Council |accessdate=12 August 2014}} Savile is not in the current list, although it lists other deceased Freemen.</ref> This honour was removed in November 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/jimmy-savile-removed-from-scarborough-s-freemen-of-the-borough-list-updated-1-5093683 |title= Jimmy Savile removed from Scarborough's Freemen of the Borough list |date= 5 November 2012 |newspaper= Yorkshire Evening Post |location=Leeds}}</ref>
 
* Savile’s name was removed from street signs put up in his honour, and the headstone on his grave was removed and broken up at his family’s request.
 
 
 
==Books, recordings and other works==
 
; Books:
 
* Savile, Jimmy. ''As it happens'', ISBN 0-214-20056-6, Barrie & Jenkins 1974 (autobiography)
 
* Savile, Jimmy. ''Love is an Uphill Thing'', ISBN 0-340-19925-3, Coronet 1976 (softback edition of ''As it Happens'')
 
* Savile, Jimmy. ''God'll Fix It'', ISBN 0-264-66457-4, Mowbray, Oxford 1979
 
 
 
; Recordings:
 
* 1962, "Ahab the Arab" with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Decca, F11493 (single)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soundsofthe60s.com/html/artistes/poolebrian.htm|title= Sounds of the 60s|publisher= soundsofthe60s.com|accessdate=28 July 2008}}</ref>
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
+
{{reflist}}
 
+
{{Stub}}
==External links==
 
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15053431 BBC News obituary]
 
* [http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/jimmy_savile_page.htm Jimmy Savile Biography and Radio 1 audio clips at Radio Rewind]
 
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4669540.stm BBC article about the "Clunk Click Every Trip" safety belt advert]
 
 
 
{{PageCredit
 
|site=Wikipedia
 
|date=14 August 2015
 
|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Savile&oldid=675299083
 
}}
 

Revision as of 08:12, 8 December 2015

Main.png Jimmy Saville  Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(DJ, celebrity, paedophile)
Jimmy Savile 2006.jpg
BornJames Wilson Vincent Savile
1926-10-31
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died2011-10-29
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Interest ofExaro, Miles Goslett, Mark Williams-Thomas

Jimmy Saville was D.J. turned celebrity who worked a lot with children. The subject of innuendo for decades before his death, he was only publicly out posthumously as an "extravagant sexual predator, using his access to hospitals as a volunteer porter and fundraiser to abuse victims aged from 5 to 75."[1] He continued his predation on the vulnerable with the knowledge and support of senior UK establishment figures, raping and sexually abusing hundreds of children. Allegations against him went uninvestigated for decades, but coalesced quickly after his death, leading to hope that the VIPaedophile child abuse rings might be properly exposed.

Connections

Jimmy Savile and Edward Heath rehearsing for Jim'll Fix It in 1980

On Edward Heath's recommendation, Savile was awarded an OBE in 1972 and was recommended by Margaret Thatcher for a knighthood as Sir Jimmy Savile in 1990.[2]

Post-death investigations

After Saville died, many indepedent witnesses came forward to testify to his predatory and macabre bahviour, in which he was still engaged at the age of 82.[3] Typical reports include:

  • Stoke Mandeville Hospital: - He abused at least 63 people there, but that the only formal complaint made was ignored.[4]
  • Leeds Infirmary: - While volunteering as a porter, "abused and raped patients without scruple"[5]

 

Quotes by Jimmy Saville

PageQuote
Jimmy Savile“The thing about me is I get things done and I work deep cover, [...] I’ve known the Royal Family for a million years.”
Jimmy Savile“I would say that I am highly moral during the day, and even higherly moral during the evening, but of course we won't say anything about night-time because that is when all real wolves like myself rise from the darkness and leap about causing mayhem left and right.”

 

Related Quotation

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Mark Williams-Thomas“There are still people out there who are untouchable, [...] There is one very significant person who I've done everything to try and get prosecuted because he is clearly a child sex offender. [...] To date the CPS won't prosecute. The police and I have tried really hard to get there. He will die in due course and then the floodgates will open in the same way they did with Savile. That's not right. But justice takes many different forms. [...] The truth is no broadcaster would have done a programme about Savile when he was alive. We live in a society where there are some people you can't take on and that's really sad.”Mark Williams-Thomas1 October 2022

 

Related Document

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Suffer the little childrenArticle12 November 2012Susie BonifaceNine years ago the BBC was at the centre of another frenzy when it similarly accused the government of misleading the public. Only then it wasn't child abuse, it was starting a war after publicly stating our enemy could launch chemical weapons within 45 minutes of the order being given.
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References


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