Jimmy Savile

[Starkers]

I've seen this mentioned briefly in other threads, and I realise this will probably go over a lot of non UK heads, but what are people's thoughts about the revelations coming out about Jimmy Savile?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19876524

Chris Patten said this week that he always thought he was an odd man, and I'd have to agree, certainly he came across that way when Louis Theroux spent time with him, but I guess most people, me included, just thought he was eccentric.

There's something unsettling about this all coming out after his death, both from the perspective of him not being in a position to defend himself, but also because, if proven, he can't be punished, except by the posthumous destruction of his reputation.

I think the "where's there's smoke there's fire" expression isn't often true, but in this instance it's less about smoke than about whole forests being in flames, given how many people are coming forward, and also the number of people suddenly expressing that it was 'common knowledge' in the entertainment world.

Like I say, I thought he was odd, and in a way the revelations aren't surprising. But then I wouldn't have been shocked either if it'd come out he was gay, or had died a virgin, or was just a natural eccentric.

Probably hard to explain to someone who isn't British, but this guy was such a regular feature on tv for practically my entire childhood (I was four or five when Jim'll Fix It started) and he did so much for charity that however unsurprised I am in some ways, I'm also shocked.

But then (again always inserting the 'if its true' disclaimer) in some ways I'm less shocked that he did it, than that he got away with doing it for at least 40 years!

That's another part of my childhood innocence stamped on.

 

[Deckerd]

He was always creeptastic. On the other board I'm on, one of the members is one (of 2) rape victims to come forward after 40 years. It's blighted her life but she said the police were totally respectful when she went in last week; something that absolutely would not have happened 40 years ago.

 

[Australis]

That's the thing. He was such a part of the establishment, no one would have believed one or two back then.

Now, so many are coming forward... it's just terrible, terrible and sad.

 

[Starkers]

It must have been a terrible thing to live with for so long, and I have no issues with any of the victims who didn't feel they could come forward before now (and it seems some did and were not believed) its the complicity of so many people who seemed to turn a blind eye to it that makes me angry.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

This about sums it up...

It has emerged that the entire population of the UK has known for years that Jimmy Savile was a paedophile.
Savile, who died less than 12 months ago, was the host of numerous popular TV and radio shows and also Top of the Pops.
As alleged details of the flamboyant showbiz personality’s abuse of children hit the headlines, the public have revealed that they had always known what was going on, but chose to says nothing.
“How could anyone not know he was a paedophile?” asked 43 year-old John Mercer from Telford.
“The only thing that’s surprised me about all this is that his surname actually only contains one L.”

 

[Deckerd]

I have to say I'm sickened by all the people who could have done something but chose to stay silent. Not his victims but those in showbiz with him.

 

[Pingfah]

Especially Rantzen. She has tried to weasel out of it by preempting the documentary and running around saying how awful it was, but this is a woman who was setting up fucking Childline at the same time as this was going on, and she didn't consider it worth mentioning then? When she was setting up a charity specifically to protect abused kids?

FFS.

 

[Starkers]

I have to say I'm sickened by all the people who could have done something but chose to stay silent. Not his victims but those in showbiz with him.

Not just those in showbiz though, it appears staff in hopsitals and other institutions at best turned a blind eye and at worst held the belief that it was a small price to pay for all the charitable support he gave.

 

[lurok]

Cases like this always bring a whiff of witch-hunt. But I saw this quoted from a comedian's act of 25 years ago:

‘There have been serious allegations of child abuse in Cleveland. To my mind there is only one way to find out whether this is true or not and that’s to . . . CALL IN JIMMY SAVILE! You can’t afford to f*** about! Bring in an expert! Am I right? A friend of mine reckons Jimmy Savile is a paedophile. Rubbish — he’s a child-bender! That’s why he does all the f****** charity work: it’s to gain public sympathy for when his f****** case comes up.’

I've heard of Sadowitz by reputation but never seen his stuff, though I know he's supposed to have been the Frankie Boyle of his day (if that means anything to non-UK members). My only real insight into this affair is I've moved in media circles and heard these rumours as well as many others. And the talk of sexual harassment by senior figures is nothing new either.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Fleet Street Fox on this whole situation.

Ann Barrett was an immature 15-year-old when Jimmy Savile got her into bed. He made her have unprotected sex, let his aides watch, and charmed her parents into letting their young daughter visit his flat where he abused her.
She said: "I once wrote a letter to a friend saying that Jimmy kissed and cuddled me and took me to bed. It was intercepted by her mum and she contacted my parents. But my dad turned on me and asked, ‘How can you say things like that about Jimmy Savile?’ Like most people he thought Savile was this paragon of virtue."
No-one could blame Ann for keeping it secret after that.
June Thornton, a patient at Leeds General Infirmary in 1972, saw Savile abuse a brain-damaged patient .
She said: "I thought he was a visitor coming to see her. He started rubbing his hands down her arms and then – I don’t know of a nice way to put it – he molested her. He helped himself. She just sat there and couldn’t do anything about it."
June, confined to bed after a back operation, could not intervene. She told a nurse, and she was ignored.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

^ Good piece, but they go a bit soft on themselves for their own failure to investigate and report while (rightfully) condemning everyone else's failures to speak up for these children or to report on Savile's crimes.

Cases like this always bring a whiff of witch-hunt.

I think Savile's own words in his autobiography remove any chance of this being a witch hunt. He was pretty unapologetic about who and what he was.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/jimmy-saviles-autobiography-shock-as-pages-1359536

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yep, the papers are going soft on themselves and hard on any publicly owned institution. Was interesting to see this on HIGNFY last night, very strange, but interesting.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

^^^I am glad HIGNFY tackled it....bit yeah it's simply unbelievable that so many people over so many institutions knew what was going on and nobody did anything about it.......including the media in all its forms.

It's hard to get your head round it's so big.

Cases like this always bring a whiff of witch-hunt. But I saw this quoted from a comedian's act of 25 years ago:

‘There have been serious allegations of child abuse in Cleveland. To my mind there is only one way to find out whether this is true or not and that’s to . . . CALL IN JIMMY SAVILE! You can’t afford to f*** about! Bring in an expert! Am I right? A friend of mine reckons Jimmy Savile is a paedophile. Rubbish — he’s a child-bender! That’s why he does all the f****** charity work: it’s to gain public sympathy for when his f****** case comes up.’

I've heard of Sadowitz by reputation but never seen his stuff, though I know he's supposed to have been the Frankie Boyle of his day (if that means anything to non-UK members). My only real insight into this affair is I've moved in media circles and heard these rumours as well as many others. And the talk of sexual harassment by senior figures is nothing new either.

Jerry Sadowitz spoke of saville's death last year....plus the clip you just posted about is also up again.........they are both on yt, but because of its content you will have to find them yourself........and just a reminder........Sadowitz makes Boyle look like Frank Carson. lol.......so be very wary about viewing these clips.

 

[matthunter]

^^^I am glad HIGNFY tackled it....

They kind of had to - there's a fake HIGNFY transcript doing the rounds which has "Merton" launching into a tirade at Jimmy Savile (the transcript purports to be of an early show with him as a guest) and referring to him as a paedophile.

The tabloids have been having a field day with this - I have no doubt that the allegations against Savile are true (and disgusting if it was covered up), but the hacks have been almost gleeful in their efforts to taint the entire BBC with this one. One might almost think they were using it as revenge for Leveson.

The Sun - with its regular "countdown till she's legal!" topless model/young female celeb themes - presenting itself as the moral crusader against paedophilia is as laughable today as it was when Brass Eye pointed it out a few years back. Let the investigation proceed without all the salacious gossip or backbiting.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Ahh now i understand what that was about......i dont buy news papers and have not done for many many year, so i missed the whole Merton thing.....i would not give a daily tabloid the time of day never mind my money.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Hard hitting and incisive journalism from the British press, as ever.

https://twitter.com/brianwhelanhack/status/257284944689242113/photo/1

 

[donners22]

The stand-out, though unfortunately far from surprising, aspect from this is the number of people who were aware and did nothing. It's unfortunately an entrenched part of society, whether the person is a celebrity or not. Much like domestic violence, so many sex offences are just ignored or kept "in-house". It's tragic to think how many lives have been ruined by such inaction over the years.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Hard hitting and incisive journalism from the British press, as ever.

https://twitter.com/brianwhelanhack/status/257284944689242113/photo/1

The last time i saw anything of intrest in a daily tabloid was when they still wrapped your chips up in them.

 

[Blip]

The good old days! (the chip wrapping, not the thread topic..)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Ah, the good old days. When a celeb could molest a child and a man could have his chips in yesterday's newspaper. As God intended.