[TV] Jimmy Savile A British Horror Story (Netflix)

[clapham_gull]

Just watched the first and it is extremely well researched with archive footage most of us have never seen or forgotten.

Unlike other programmes about him it doesn't focus too much on why he was an evil piece of shit but just accepts that he was. It tells us much more about the great and good institutions that effectively harboured him and often turned a blind eye.

 

[Robinjakarta]

As grew up he struck me as just a bit weird. Never heard rumours. He was just a very popular public figure I neither liked or loathed. Seemed to be doing a lot of good for charities. Didn’t pay much attention to him to be honest. Wasn’t a listener of his show, didn’t tune into programmes featuring him etc. He was sort of like a background noise. Often on the airwaves. Just there. But you didn’t set the tape or video recorder especially. Nor switch off/turn over.

That's pretty much as I saw him.

 

[Brightonfan1983]

The day before The Story broke, I was talking to a journo in a London pub who said that This Story is about to break. I didn't believe it, it was almost an attack on the safety and security of my childhood, and I drunkenly and arrogantly, and I'm sure loudly, poo-poo'd it.

We were all groomed. Still feels shit and hard to accept doesn't it?

 

[Pevenseagull]

Dame Ether 'Childline' Rantzid evidently always knew there was something wrong but chose not do anything about it because no one came forward with any solid evidence.

She is a ****.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Growing up in Eastbourne in the 70s a lot of the kids at my school wrote letters to Jim'll fix it ... and they never got sent.

LOADS OF PEOPLE KNEW.

 

[BadFish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esKnWAIgpLY

Too many people knew about this and enabled it. I find it incredible that more hasn't been done to investigate what happened and who knew.

 

[Stat Brother]

I remember watching The Daily Show (US politics/current affairs satire) when the story broke.
At the time it was hosted by John Oliver, he made a reference to the nature of the scandal, hiding in plan sight, etc, then they showed a couple of choice photos.
The US audience absolutely pissed themselves laughing.

 

[lawros left foot]

Simon Amstel did make a comment about Saville being a paedophile on an episode of Never mind the Buzzcocks before Savilles death.
It was met with almost embarrassment by the contestants. They knew
I have tried in vain to find the clip.

I had a mate who went to a recording of TOTP when Sir Jim was hosting. As my mate was older than the usual audience he got into a conversation with a cameraman, and asked him what Saville was really like, and the cameraman replied that he wouldn’t trust him alone with his little sister.
This was in about 1984.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I watched this last night - well researched and disturbing. One of Netflix's better productions.

As Ian Hislop says in it "when you say that you knew, what you mean is that you had heard the rumours". Clearly his barrister knew the truth but it is not clear if anyone else did. The Police failed, Journalism collectively failed and it is one of the successes of the internet that victims finally realised that they were not alone. For that reason I like to think that someone like this could not get away with it for 55 years nowadays.

 

[portlock seagull]

Growing up in Eastbourne in the 70s a lot of the kids at my school wrote letters to Jim'll fix it ... and they never got sent.

LOADS OF PEOPLE KNEW.

I doubt it. Think you’re rewriting history. Perhaps by end of 80s, but how were 250,000 kids p.a. and their parents supposed to know with certainty and no national newspaper articles about? I’m not buying the hysteria now about a great establishment cover up either. Gross naivety and fear of Saville’s power, yes. You only need to watch the doc to see how adored, almost worshiped he was by public press and celebrities. As many others said, he groomed an entire nation and the only person to really blame if that’s your focus is the vile man himself.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Did he start his 'antics' in 1979? Wilson and Callaghan ruled the roost before that.

His "Antics" started in 1955 so Winston Churchill / Anthony Eden

 

[portlock seagull]

I watched this last night - well researched and disturbing. One of Netflix's better productions.

As Ian Hislop says in it "when you say that you knew, what you mean is that you had heard the rumours". Clearly his barrister knew the truth but it is not clear if anyone else did. The Police failed, Journalism collectively failed and it is one of the successes of the internet that victims finally realised that they were not alone. For that reason I like to think that someone like this could not get away with it for 55 years nowadays.

Spot on, although not so sure about last point. Could always happen again in the era of fake news and mass media manipulation. Putins duped the biggest country on the planet.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Hindsight is always 20/20 vision. I can remember feeling shocked when I learned the extent of his evil, and even more so when Rolf Harris was outed.

 

[Swansman]

Good example to use for the death penalty thread….if he’d still been alive, a potential candidate for those in favour ?

The way the people protect each other in the top, I dont think what has been revealed would have been revealed if he was alive. Living people tend to talk too much. Dragging dead paedos into the light every now and then is quite useful, allows the rest of the high profile ones to say "look if I was a paedo surely it would be revealed and I'd get the Savile treatment"... while that is not necessarily the case at all.

 

[Icy Gull]

Hindsight is always 20/20 vision. I can remember feeling shocked when I learned the extent of his evil, and even more so when Rolf Harris was outed.

I was shocked by Rolf Harris but I always thought Jimmy Saville was extremely creepy and although I had no idea just how fecked up he was, it came as no surprise

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I watched this last night - well researched and disturbing. One of Netflix's better productions.

As Ian Hislop says in it "when you say that you knew, what you mean is that you had heard the rumours". Clearly his barrister knew the truth but it is not clear if anyone else did. The Police failed, Journalism collectively failed and it is one of the successes of the internet that victims finally realised that they were not alone. For that reason I like to think that someone like this could not get away with it for 55 years nowadays.

I hope (and suspect) you're right. Scrutiny is extreme, now, and dozens of people will capture you on their phones and post the footage online. And attitudes have changed. Contributory negligence has thankfully been largely obliterated as a concept.

Something that my not have been mentioned is that attitudes were so lax back then. There was a thread a while ago on music that whould be banned today (underage stuff, from 'The Cops are Coming' to endless songs about schoolgirls). I wandered into a newsagent with a pal on the Earls Court Road in the late 70s and there was paedophile porn on open sale. There was the "PIE" openly campaigning. It's no wonder people did nothing about Savile. It was almost 'normal'. As long as nobody got physically injured there was little chance of any comeback. Frightening. I'm so glad society has changed.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I note there have been attempts to score political points on this thread. Much as I detest Thatcher, and have previously posted the picture of her and Savile when others have been drooling over her cachet, I don't blame her or any other politician (Wilson, Callaghan? ) for Savile's longevity and teflonicity. There are numerous examples of psychopathy and delusion and charisma (often unfathomable charisma) allowing individuals to graze on elements of the public. I have worked with a psychopath for more than 30 years and even today my first intinct when I meet him is to believe his lies and trust him. It's a gift. As long as he limits his behaviours he'll be safe.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I note there have been attempts to score political points on this thread. Much as I detest Thatcher, and have previously posted the picture of her and Savile when others have been drooling over her cachet, I don't blame her or any other politician (Wilson, Callaghan? ) for Savile's longevity and teflonicity. There are numerous examples of psychopathy and delusion and charisma (often unfathomable charisma) allowing individuals to graze on elements of the public. I have worked with a psychopath for more than 30 years and even today my first intinct when I meet him is to believe his lies and trust him. It's a gift. As long as he limits his behaviours he'll be safe.

That's reassuring


Regards
DF

 

[The Clamp]

I can only assume a part of his ability to avoid being outed was that he must have dirt on very powerful people. Probably why he cosied up to so many high profile figures. Combined with him being active in age where children were seen and not heard and. It taken seriously.

I was in what would be called a SEN school now when I was younger, separate from mainstream, as was the way it was done in the early 80’s. It was a classroom where they threw anyone with anything “wrong with them”, from learning difficulties to a lad with a cleft palette. All lumped in together as “problem kids”.

We got taken to see a high profile children’s entertainer do a show and a meet n greet. I won’t name names but he mucked about with puppets.
Me and my friend said we weren’t comfortable around him for various reasons and my friend went to a teacher, crying. He was made to apologise to the entertainer for being rude.
Such was the way.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I hope (and suspect) you're right. Scrutiny is extreme, now, and dozens of people will capture you on their phones and post the footage online. And attitudes have changed. Contributory negligence has thankfully been largely obliterated as a concept.

Something that my not have been mentioned is that attitudes were so lax back then. There was a thread a while ago on music that whould be banned today (underage stuff, from 'The Cops are Coming' to endless songs about schoolgirls). I wandered into a newsagent with a pal on the Earls Court Road in the late 70s and there was paedophile porn on open sale. There was the "PIE" openly campaigning. It's no wonder people did nothing about Savile. It was almost 'normal'. As long as nobody got physically injured there was little chance of any comeback. Frightening. I'm so glad society has changed.

Attitudes certainly have changed.
Whenever girls complained about molestation (no matter what age) it was always 'They were asking for it'. The phrase most used by molestors was 'nobody will believe you'.
Judges were letting rapists off because the girl wore a mini skirt.
It was always the girl's fault if she got pregnant as the blokes were expected to sleep around.