Jimmy Savile wasn’t just on Top of the Pops, he was top of the world for decades. He was one of the most famous and beloved celebrities in England, close friends with Prince Charles and Andrew, hung out with the Beatles. But of course, after his death, the rumors that had circulated for so long were finally admitted to be so.
Up until then, Jimmy Savile’s hundreds of victims often found themselves disbelieved by authorities, staff at the hospitals he visited for “charity” and even sometimes the parents of the children themselves. Steve Coogan, who plays the character of daft news presenter Alan Partridge, will play the part of Savile in “The Reckoning.” But has there really been any reckoning for the BBC itself? They banned Johnny Rotten in the 70s for years just for mentioning that “everybody knew what that cigar muncher was up to.” To profit off of a story they were complicit in seems at the very least tasteless.
Most recently, I saw it reported that some victims will be on set and meet Steve Coogan “in character.” Meeting victims to ensure sensitivity to their stories makes sense, but in character?! Savile is mentioned multiple times in my book Pedogate Primer: the politics of pedophilia.
Pedogate Primer is available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Powell’s Books and a few other shops worldwide including Australia, Taiwan and Poland. The audiobook, narrated by myself, is also for sale at Audible.com. If you’d like a review copy of the audiobook, contact me through the contact form or email at kafkaguy@gmail.com and I’ll send you a promo code. You can also check out several podcasts and radio shows I appeared on to talk about the book in the interview section.
Phil Fairbanks: portfolio 