“Jimmy Savile: A British horror story”: the legendary conductor and philanthropist who hid his life as an abuser

A few years ago, a huge scandal broke out in Britain. One of the biggest stars of the second half of the 20th century, Jimmy Savile, received a torrent of accusations for committing sex crimes for decades.

The news was so frightening that even the prime minister of that time, David Cameron, spoke about how terrible the situation was. A nation saw how one of its heroes finally showed its true face, and it was that of a villain. His double life included the most heinous crimes, many of them committed while everyone admired him as one of the most generous and supportive figures in the kingdom.

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is a two-part documentary that tells the life of the DJ, television host, supportive sportsman and powerful philanthropist who rubbed shoulders with British royalty, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Margaret Thatcher and every relevant and influential personality from Britain.

On television, he made several important programs, including two that were legends: Top of the Pops (1964-2006) and Jim'll Fix It (1975-1994). His popularity was total and the public wanted him with his oddities and eccentricities. His long white hair and cigar were trademarks. Her very casual dress, when that was not yet in style, was also her identity. He never formed a family and he was never met with any partner.

In parallel to her celebrity status, Savile was also an important solidarity reference. He collected millions of pounds in charity work, organized and participated in marathons and sporting events to raise funds, and for decades he volunteered in hospitals. He seemed like the most generous person in the world.

Over the years, rumors about his sexual crimes — many against minors — grew cautiously but firmly, and the subject appeared in many of the interviews that were conducted with him. With a sense of humor, he denied everything. Seen today, most of his jokes, even at the beginning of his career, showed that everything was in sight. Jimmy Savile was one of the most terrible sexual predators in British history, perhaps the worst of them all.

The documentary devotes the first episode to describing what Jimmy meant in his country and the second to showing what was little by little an open secret and ended up exploding.

Viewers who didn't know his story will be very impressed with that division, and those who did know him will feel the same way as those who lived that time and were unable to react to the tracks that Neville himself released in his speech. His friendships with the UK's most influential people protected him, too, and so he cultivated those ties in an unscrupulous and calculated way.

Several themes emerge from this miniseries. Among other things, the idea of how a society is either complicit or cannot accept a horrible truth. A mechanism that also made the victims unable to publicize the horror that the famous driver made them live.

The consequences of his aberrant acts will never be fully known, but his story is a great alarm signal for other freaks on the loose from whom everyone has heard something. A journey to the heart of a terrible story, but done with great respect and modesty for all those who suffered the crimes of Jimmy Savile.

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