The thick of it - Savile joke

[wavingwhilstdrowning]

I just got round to reading an addition of Popbitch from 14/10. Always nice to see just how many ways and times that the BBC protected him. This will have happened in 2005ish I guess, 6 years before he died.

Basement cracks

There's literally footage of Savile, groping a teenage Colleen Nolan on TOTP. Of course they all knew. Everyone knew.

In 1976, I was a grammar school boy in Battersea. I knew about him. Everyone at school knew about him.

If a bunch of kids with absolutely no connection to showbiz knew about him - quite specifically, not in a 'heard rumours' kind of way - then what are the chances that the establishment didn't?

@Deliriumoftheendless

Jerry Sadowitz was talking about it in his act by 1987.

There was a fear of it being libel though.

Lots knew but only the police really had any proof and, well, they were his personal bully boys back then.

Funny how the police go to bat as enforcers for some. (Not always child abusers of course, but bullies too)

I was going to post the same, you can hear him in this clip from 1988.

Not for the faint hearted

w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F62241893&width=false&height=false&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=false&show_comments=false&color=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false#

The Jerry Sadowitz clip really hits the spot in the last few seconds. After all these years it bizarrely correctly identifies something I hadn't myself formulated about Saville's general repulsiveness.

on that Piers Morgan clip did anyone else notice that Johnny Rotten made it clear more than once that Savile wasn't the only depraved one but Piers side stepped that neatly and didn't probe further?

I'm concerned that this 'expose' is actually going to be a whitewash, to try to make people think the matter has been dealt with and create a false sense of closure.
There should be an inquiry looking into who enabled him, what organisations were involved, and how far this went.

My Mum used to go to TOTP in her youth regularly. Her view is that everyone knew there were problems with multiple presenters and band members.

She liked the music and kept going, but said there were girls who didn't have a clue about men going every week and been abused all the time.

Sadly she did 'have a clue' as she had already been a victim of abuse - it's upsetting to think that is what protected her.

@Thelnebriati

on that Piers Morgan clip did anyone else notice that Johnny Rotten made it clear more than once that Savile wasn't the only depraved one but Piers side stepped that neatly and didn't probe further?

I'm concerned that this 'expose' is actually going to be a whitewash, to try to make people think the matter has been dealt with and create a false sense of closure.
There should be an inquiry looking into who enabled him, what organisations were involved, and how far this went.

Of course it will be a whitewash

Didn't the chap who started 'Children in Need' also state that Savile was not to be involved in it AT ALL. That's been running for many years. Don't know the blokes name but he must have had the ears of top people at the BBC. That must have resulted in some sort of discussion surely.

Jerry S still refers to Savile/BBC involvement and, as someone upthread mentions, has been saying this for many years.

Like others above my dad also could not stand Savile and would claim he was a 'fucking creep' so I never (luckily) watched him as a kid. Can't stand to see his face, even in news reports, over more recent years and so would not watch any portrayal of him as it would make me feel grubby and repulsed to be honest.

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 the "very strange" and "creepy" Savile from involvement in the charity

From Wikipedia

Is it really so surprising that the BBC's lawyers censored that? Without proper proof they would have been worried about defamation. And if there was proper proof then making jokes about it on TV and then waiting to defend the claim is not exactly the right way to bring it to light.

I thought about this thread when I saw HIGNFY from last week on catch up.
There were two Saville jokes (in a topical news quiz) so we know the contempt for the victims feelings.
Sadly Bill Bailey did one of the jokes, expected better from him.

@TheQueef

I thought about this thread when I saw HIGNFY from last week on catch up. There were two Saville jokes (in a topical news quiz) so we know the contempt for the victims feelings. Sadly Bill Bailey did one of the jokes, expected better from him.

Yes, they are all being terribly brave now, aren’t they? Also disappointed.

When you type Jimmy Saville into Google this comes up. Not a single word about how awful he was. Just praise . Even now.

I actually met him at age 9 with classmates and my DB (2 years younger) - but I think he liked his girls older - I'd raised money for his charity.

Us kids all idolised him (as we did Gary Glitter) back then - because of Jim'll Fix It and his wacky persona.

Looking back now, him and Glitter were decidedly creepy.

Funnily enough also at age 9 our junior school were supposed to go to a local nightclub which had been hired for our school as a Christmas dinner and dance venue and had Gary Glitter performing but for some reason he couldn't make it and we had the Baron Knights instead. Lucky escape I reckon with Glitter's reputation.

@delilabell

When you type Jimmy Saville into Google this comes up. Not a single word about how awful he was. Just praise . Even now.

I'm still a bit and about the Louis Theroux documentary with Savile. Yes, he hoodwinked Louis but did Louis really have no idea at all what was going on? Not even a glimmer of suspicion. When Savile was talking to one of Louis' people about what they did to people in a nightclub why the F did they stay quiet FFS?

Disgusting if Savile is still being lauded and praised. Vile vile man. May he rot in hell.

Sorry to link to this despicable rag but interesting article re Theroux. Honestly he can F right off with his quotes and what he knew or didn't know etc. Ok, so don't do anything then Louis?!

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10174773/Louis-Theroux-says-infamous-Jimmy-Savile-documentary-far-soft-journalism.html

@delilabell

When you type Jimmy Saville into Google this comes up. Not a single word about how awful he was. Just praise . Even now.

That's the way Google works - it just shows the first few sentences of the link. You do actually have to read the article.

On the same basis your research would conclude that the Titanic never sank!

Ok - I’m going to feed the rumour mill - because obviously I can’t give names. However, I’ve been assured by people who worked on Tabloids in the 90s and 00s that editors across the board were provided with substantial evidence of JS wrong-doing (ie. photographic and biographical) but refused to carry it because - well you know - OBE etc.

I doubt anyone would be surprised to know that one such pompous arsehole editor who scuppered the story is someone who is still in the public eye today and constantly moralises to other people about appropriate behaviour. Think of the most repugnant, self aggrendising person you can imagine who hates Meghan Markle.

@Triffiddealer that's why I can't get worked up about the BBC and the new program. It's a societal problem. Men have got away with abuse and misuse for a very long time. And given men head our large institutions that won't change anytime soon

What I genuinely can't understand is how or why the News Of The World didn't go after him. There was nothing they'd shy from, and they must have known. So why not? He was powerful but so were they.

I also wonder if there's any truth to the "Leeds Mafia" rumours concerning him. I think there's an awful lot going on there and Savile is the tip of the iceberg.

I'm sick of Theroux claiming he was hoodwinked. He knew. And as for Ranzen claiming it was "all of us" who allowed him to abuse...

Watching the clip of him talking about his mother is sickening. He keeps all her clothes in the wardrobe and he spent four days with her after her death, which he describes as "the best days of his life".

As for the jokes, I feel they're made at the expense of Savile and not his victims.

@wavingwhilstdrowning

They knew. I wrote to Ranzen and told her FGS! It's convenient to believe they didn't, but they did. And they chose to ignore it. I told the West Yorkshire Police and wrote to the DG of the BBC, the head of childrens programming, the head of culture and Ranzen on 3 occasions. As a victim of this man the pain caused by knowing EVERYONE knew is huge. Coogan knew, and now he makes a drama about it, and profits from it. Louis Theroux had the decency to admit he "Suspected and didn't want to push it" because he was young and wanted to protect his career. The others I mention had/have huge power and chose to do nothing. To be fair to Hislop he made his views very clear in Private eye and behaved in a thoroughly decent manner to the victims who had no voice. Victims that still have no voice whilst the BBC profits from it's grotesque drama and Iannucci get's to tell funny stories about having jokes cut. These are real victims, real people and it is not fucking funny.

Oh OP

I’m so sorry.

When you type Jimmy Saville into Google this comes up. Not a single word about how awful he was. Just praise . Even now.
— That's the way Google works - it just shows the first few sentences of the link. You do actually have to read the article.

That’s appalling. Lots of people will glance at what they think is a summary instead of ploughing through the whole article. But it’s not a summary, just a very out-of-date introduction. Very badly presented, and totally misleading.

It should start with something like “Disgraced BBC presenter JS raised millions for charities and was rewarded with a knighthood while sexually abusing numerous children. Though widely suspected, his crimes were not revealed until after his death.”

@thinkingaboutLangCleg

When you type Jimmy Saville into Google this comes up. Not a single word about how awful he was. Just praise . Even now. — That's the way Google works - it just shows the first few sentences of the link. You do actually have to read the article.

That’s appalling. Lots of people will glance at what they think is a summary instead of ploughing through the whole article. But it’s not a summary, just a very out-of-date introduction. Very badly presented, and totally misleading.

It should start with something like “Disgraced BBC presenter JS raised millions for charities and was rewarded with a knighthood while sexually abusing numerous children. Though widely suspected, his crimes were not revealed until after his death.”

It's Wikipedia - it's collaborative project. No point moaning about it on here, go right ahead and change it to your version!

(Could you do the Titanic article while you're there ...)

@MurielSpriggs

(Could you do the Titanic article while you're there ...)

The entry states on preview view that The Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage.