He raised millions for charity, was knighted by the Queen and achieved national treasure status after a career spanning decades in the entertainment industry. His funeral was even broadcast on the BBC.
But, after his death in 2011, Jimmy Savile was unmasked as a prolific and predatory sex offender - abusing hundreds of people, some as young as five. To date, more than 450 allegations of sexual assault and abuse have been made against Savile.
A new Netflix documentary, called Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, examines his relationship with the British people, establishment and media to understand how he managed to fool an entire nation for so long. Here’s what to expect from the devastating portrait of Savile’s heinous and evil life…
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What is the Jimmy Savile documentary about?
The documentary relies heavily on archive footage to examine Savile’s public persona and how he managed to avoid detection during his life. Viewers are shown clips of his meetings with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Prince Charles - as well as his numerous interviews on TV chat shows.
It moves chronologically through his career, from his early days as a DJ through to presenter of Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix It. Rumours of his true nature were rife - but there was never the evidence to expose him while he was alive.
The documentary features present day interviews with those who knew or worked with him - along with the investigative journalists who finally uncovered the evidence behind the rumours. And, devastatingly, it also features the testimony of one of Savile’s victims - who he assaulted multiple times when she was a child.
Savile’s monstrous crimes shocked the nation when they were at last revealed. The documentary’s meticulous piecing together of what happened makes for difficult viewing.
How many episodes are there?
There are two episodes in the series. The first is 80 minutes long while the second runs to 91 minutes.
Is the Jimmy Savile documentary available to watch on Netflix?
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is available exclusively to subscribers of Netflix for a limited time. It was released on April 6 so it can be watched now.
