Jimmy Savile

Sir Jimmy Savile
Savile in 2006
Born	James Wilson Vincent Savile 31 October 1926 Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	29 October 2011 (aged 84) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Disc jockey, television and radio personality, dance hall manager
Television	Top of the Pops, Jim'll Fix It
Religion	Roman Catholic[1]

Sir James Wilson Vincent "Jimmy" Savile KCSG OBE (31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television presenter, media personality 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.^[2] After his death, hundreds of allegations of child sex abuse and rape became public, leading the police to believe that Savile may have been one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.^[3][4][5][6] A joint report by the NSPCC and Metropolitan Police stated that 450 people had made complaints against Savile, with the period of abuse stretching from 1955 to 2009, with the ages of victims at the time of the assaults ranging from 8 to 47.^[7][8]

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. His media career started as a disc jockey at Radio Luxembourg in 1958 and on Tyne Tees Televisionin 1960, and he developed a reputation for eccentricity and his flamboyant character. At the BBC, he presented the first edition of Top of the Pops in 1964 and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 from 1968. Between 1975 and 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 fundraising and supporting charities and hospitals, in particular Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Leeds General Infirmary andBroadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. He was described in The Guardian as a "prodigious philanthropist"^[9] and was honoured for his charity work.^[10] He was awarded the OBE in 1971 and was knighted in 1990.

In October 2012, almost a year after his death, an ITV documentary examining claims of sexual abuse against Savile^[11] led to broad 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. Scotland Yard launched a criminal investigation into allegations of child sex abuse by Savile over six decades,^[5] describing him as a "predatory sex offender", and later stated that they were pursuing over 400 lines of inquiry based on the testimony of 300 potential victims via fourteen police forces across the UK.^[12][13] 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 theDepartment of Health.^[12][14][15]

Contents   [hide]  1 Early life 2 Radio 3 Television 4 Fundraising, sponsorship and voluntary work 5 Public image and friendships 6 Health and death 7 Allegations of sexual abuse 7.1 During his lifetime 7.2 After his death 7.3 Aftermath 8 Honours 9 Books, recordings and other works 10 References 11 External links