For fifty years, Jimmy Savile entertained the nation as one of the most beloved radio and TV presenters of all time. A host of two of the longest running BBC shows of all time, Top of the Pops (1963-2006), and Jim’ll Fix It (1975-1994), Savile beamed his unique brand of joy and humour into every single home in Britain in any way he possibly could. An active charity worker, Savile raised millions for worthy causes over the years, and in 2011 died a national treasure and a beacon of insurmountable good that Britain could truly be proud of.
That is until broadcaster ITV published investigations into Savile’s private life that uncovered hundreds of sexual abuse cases, primarily against children. Within weeks the empire of joy that Savile had left in his wake was dismantled, he was posthumously stripped of all awards and titles, his gravestone removed, and the BBC was placed under extreme scrutiny as every attempt to weed out anyone who knew what Savile was up to for all those years was taken. It shook the country to its core, and as of writing more than four hundred victims have come forward, with hundreds more believed to have been abused.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is Netflix’s latest true crime documentary that seeks to peel back some of the layers surrounding Savile, identify where his façade slipped over the years, and speak to survivors about their traumatic ordeal. Split into two parts, Part One charts Savile’s career from the sixties through to the 1990’s, with particular detail on his numerous charity fundraisers and volunteer work in hospitals; with Part Two following his late career in the 00’s, police investigations into him, his death, and the subsequent discovery of his actions almost a year later, with a dive into his family life and interviews with survivors.
That is until broadcaster ITV published investigations into Savile’s private life that uncovered hundreds of sexual abuse cases, primarily against children. Within weeks the empire of joy that Savile had left in his wake was dismantled, he was posthumously stripped of all awards and titles, his gravestone removed, and the BBC was placed under extreme scrutiny as every attempt to weed out anyone who knew what Savile was up to for all those years was taken. It shook the country to its core, and as of writing more than four hundred victims have come forward, with hundreds more believed to have been abused.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is Netflix’s latest true crime documentary that seeks to peel back some of the layers surrounding Savile, identify where his façade slipped over the years, and speak to survivors about their traumatic ordeal. Split into two parts, Part One charts Savile’s career from the sixties through to the 1990’s, with particular detail on his numerous charity fundraisers and volunteer work in hospitals; with Part Two following his late career in the 00’s, police investigations into him, his death, and the subsequent discovery of his actions almost a year later, with a dive into his family life and interviews with survivors.
To say I enjoyed the documentary is a poor choice of words, because you can’t enjoy something like this. Perhaps it hits harder because it’s considerably closer to home, and despite it being a decade since his horrendous actions truly came to light, the dust still hasn’t quite settled on the ordeal. But I did find the documentary engaging and eye opening, with a lot revealed about the man that I didn’t know, and insight into how he got away with what he was doing for so long.
Initially I did feel as though the first part had dragged on slightly too long and that there wouldn’t be enough left to cover for the second part of the documentary, but in actuality once I had watched the second part I found that rather than being front heavy the documentary had actually managed to balance itself rather well by presenting Jimmy in the way the public once knew him in the first episode, and then unmasking the monster behind the mask in the second and going back to re-evaluate elements of what was covered in the first part. Part One gives the details, whereas Part Two uncovers the context.
With interviews from journalists such as Ian Hislop (Private Eye & Have I Got News For You), former private secretary Robin Butler, Jim’ll Fix It producer Roger Ordish, and Savile’s personal biographer Alison Bellamy, the documentary brings in a wide range of people who were both professionally and personally close to Jimmy, as well as those who had scrutinised his behaviour from very early on. Combined with dozens of clips of archive footage detailing Savile’s relationships with everyone from The Beatles, to Margaret Thatcher, and even Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It seems as though Savile was truly impenetrable, a security network he would have formed over decades to allow him to continue his dark deeds in the shadows.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is not for the faint of heart. It is deeply disturbing and incredibly uncomfortable, but it does manage to concisely present a wealth of information on the former entertainer that allows people to understand how he was able to evade the law his entire life. For anyone that watched programs featuring Savile, or even those curious about how he managed to pull it off, then the documentary is a must watch.
Initially I did feel as though the first part had dragged on slightly too long and that there wouldn’t be enough left to cover for the second part of the documentary, but in actuality once I had watched the second part I found that rather than being front heavy the documentary had actually managed to balance itself rather well by presenting Jimmy in the way the public once knew him in the first episode, and then unmasking the monster behind the mask in the second and going back to re-evaluate elements of what was covered in the first part. Part One gives the details, whereas Part Two uncovers the context.
With interviews from journalists such as Ian Hislop (Private Eye & Have I Got News For You), former private secretary Robin Butler, Jim’ll Fix It producer Roger Ordish, and Savile’s personal biographer Alison Bellamy, the documentary brings in a wide range of people who were both professionally and personally close to Jimmy, as well as those who had scrutinised his behaviour from very early on. Combined with dozens of clips of archive footage detailing Savile’s relationships with everyone from The Beatles, to Margaret Thatcher, and even Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It seems as though Savile was truly impenetrable, a security network he would have formed over decades to allow him to continue his dark deeds in the shadows.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is not for the faint of heart. It is deeply disturbing and incredibly uncomfortable, but it does manage to concisely present a wealth of information on the former entertainer that allows people to understand how he was able to evade the law his entire life. For anyone that watched programs featuring Savile, or even those curious about how he managed to pull it off, then the documentary is a must watch.