It’s a
scandal that just keeps on growing: The allegations about the late TV presenter
Jimmy Savile and his associates are making British people question some of
their most sacred institutions.
Sir Jimmy
Savile was one of Britain's best known TV personalities, and for many years a
well-loved star. He is thought to have raised over 40 million pounds ($64
million) for charity, and presented some of the BBC's most popular shows.
But in the
space of just over a year, following his death in October 2011, his reputation
has taken on a very different hue. Over 300 people have come forward claiming
they were abused by the star, leading the police to pronounce that he could be
one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders.
A life in
showbiz
 |
| Jimmy Savile made friends throughout the British establishment |
Savile
joined the BBC in the 1960s, and eccentricity and flamboyance were always part
of his on-screen persona: A shock of white hair, crazy sun glasses, a big
cigar, bright tracksuits, and chunky gold jewellery were his stock in trade. By
the 70s, he'd moved into children's television, presenting "Jim’ll Fix
It," the show which purported to make children's dreams come true.
But it is
now claimed that Savile abused and manipulated many of the people who appeared
on his shows, promising his young studio audiences more screen time or a
coveted Jim'll Fix It medal in return for sexual favors.
Abuse
Karin Ward
was one of those women who appeared on Savile's shows. In November last year,
shortly after his death, Ward gave a television interview detailing his abuse
of her, and other young women she knew in the 70s.
"He
wanted me to do things for him, he wanted me to fondle him, he asked me for
oral sex, and I didn't want to, and he promised me that if I gave him oral sex,
he would arrange for me and my friends to go to television centre, and be on
his TV show," Ward told the BBC's Newsnight program.
And given
that inducement, Ward reluctantly complied with Savile's demands.
"I was
14, of course I wanted to go to television centre. I didn't want to give him
oral sex, because I thought it was disgusting, but I did it."
A culture
of silence
But the
allegations go beyond Savile's work at the BBC. Many of the accounts center on
Savile's charity work - in which he appears to have targeted damaged and
vulnerable young people, in institutions which were meant to look after them.
Many of his victims say that they did try and speak up at the time, but either
weren't believed, or weren't listened to.
 |
| Prince Charles led tributes to Savile last year when he died at the age of 84 |
"There
were rumours in television, in the music industry, in Fleet Street, and I’m
told even within the NHS." says Esther Rantzen, founder of the child
protection charity ChildLine, who was working in another part of the BBC at the
same time as Savile.
If his
behaviour raised alarm bells at all, it seems it was dismissed as "just
Jimmy’s way."
The other
problem is of course one of proof. Rantzen adds: "The trouble with a rumor
is it's not something you know. In order to know something as a fact, it must
either have happened to you, or you must have seen it happen. Nothing else
stands up in court. And nothing else would permit a newspaper to publish, or a
program to broadcast."
Power and
institutions
As well as
receiving a knighthood in 1990, Savile also received a Papal honour from the
Catholic Church. He even liked to boast of his royal connections - he was on
good terms with Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, with exchanges of
Christmas cards and invitations to dinner. Prince Charles led tributes to
Savile on his death last year. Questions are now being asked about how Savile
was able to get right to the heart of the British establishment.
But it's
the BBC which is at the heart of this storm: There are questions about the way
the corporation has handled the affair. The BBC's flagship news program,
Newsnight, carried out an investigation into Savile late last year, but that
was shelved shortly before the editing process. The reasons for this have yet
to be fully explained.
 |
| The BBC has accused of covering up the allegations into Savile's sexual abuse |
Last week,
Newsnight’s sister program, Panorama, broadcast a hard-hitting documentary
about the Savile scandal, in which they interviewed Newsnight producer, Meirion
Jones. Jones claimed he had sent his editor an email in which he cautioned
against not broadcasting such explosive material:
"I was
sure that the story would come out one way or another, and that if it did, the
BBC would be accused of cover up. In fact I wrote an email, saying 'the story
is strong enough, and the danger of not running it is substantial damage to BBC
reputation.'"
A prescient
email given the explosion of recent weeks. The BBC now stands accused of two
grave offences, squashing an exposé of one of its biggest stars, and then
broadcasting a eulogy of him knowing the allegations.
BBC
cover-up?
The new BBC
Director General, George Entwhistle appeared before a parliamentary committee,
earlier this month, to answer questions about what he knew then and now. The
editor of Newsnight has been suspended on full pay, pending investigations. The
corporation continues to stand by its story that it did not pressure the editor
into dropping the story.
Even Prime
Minister, David Cameron has weighed in on the controversy, saying, "The
nation is appalled, we're all appalled by the allegations of what Jimmy Savile
did. And they seem to get worse by the day, and so every organisation which was
involved with him, needs to get to the bottom of what happened."
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.