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Did Irvine Welsh model fictional villain after Savile?

Residents FanResidents Fan Posts: 9,204
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in Books #1
I found this interesting link on "The Evening Standard":
The allegation from radio DJ Paul Gambaccini yesterday that Jimmy Savile might have been a necrophiliac as well as a child molester gave the on-going story an extraordinary new angle.

But if Twitter speculation is to believed, talk of Savile’s alleged necrophilia is nothing new.

The social networking site is abuzz with the suggestion that necrophiliac and paedophile character Freddy Royle in Irvine Welsh’s 1996 work Ecstasy was based
on Savile.....

"Ecstasy" is a collection of three short narratives; in the first, “Lorraine Goes to Livingston”, Freddy Royle was a chat-show host and “distinguished friend” at St Hubbin’s Hospital.

In one passage, Welsh writes: “The thing was, Freddy brought millions of pounds into the place with his fund-raising activities. This brought kudos to the trustees, and made St Hubbin’s Hospital a flagship for the arm’s-length trusts from the NHS. All they had to do was keep schtumm and indulge Sir Freddy with the odd body.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/did-irvine-welsh-model-ecstasy-necrophiliac-on-jimmy-savile-8224934.html

So far, Welsh hasn't confirmed this. Anybody read the story?
Is Royle really similar to Saville?

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    Cat.JCat.J Posts: 651
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    #2
    I don't know about Irvine Welsh, but Val McDermid based her character Jacko Vance on Savile - she's said so herself.
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    dorahalldorahall Posts: 1,296
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    #3
    Cat.J wrote: »
    I don't know about Irvine Welsh, but Val McDermid based her character Jacko Vance on Savile - she's said so herself.
    Oh my God, seriously? No wonder his character gave me the chills.

    I have't read the Irvine Welsh short stories but the character sounds very familiar, I wonder if he was yet another person who somehow knew what Savile was up to?
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    Residents FanResidents Fan Posts: 9,204
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    #4
    Also, I remember reading a Richard Matheson story years
    ago called "Little Girl Lost" in the British anthology
    "Space 5". (1979), edited by the late
    Richard Davis. The original story ended with the line
    So some night we may look up and hear Arthur Godfrey chuckling from another dimension. Maybe he belongs there.

    But the version in the Davis anthology ends with:
    So some night we may look up and hear
    Jimmy Savile chuckling from another dimension. Maybe he belongs there.

    Did Matheson allow Davis to change the story because UK people wouldn't know who Godfrey was? And Davis used
    to work at the BBC and knew a lot of folk like Kenny Everett
    and Bob Monkhouse; did he suspect there was something
    dodgy about Savile, and thus picked his name to put into
    the Matheson story?
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    Reiver97Reiver97 Posts: 2,491
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    #5
    Residents Fan wrote: »
    I found this interesting link on "The Evening Standard":



    http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/did-irvine-welsh-model-ecstasy-necrophiliac-on-jimmy-savile-8224934.html

    So far, Welsh hasn't confirmed this. Anybody read the story?
    Is Royle really similar to Saville?

    I thought it was pretty common knowledge that Irvine based the character on Savile. When the book came out I remember reading about it in reviews, although I havent read the actual book.
    IRVINE WELSH ON JIMMY SAVILE (THE SAVILE NECROPHILIA RUMORS)

    “Yes, the trustees knew all about Freddy Royle, Glen reflected bitterly. They knew the real secrets of the chat-show host, the authors of several books, including Howzat! – Freddy Royle On Cricket, Freddy Royle’s Somerset, Somerset With a Z: The Wit of the West Country, West Country Walks With Freddy Royle and Freddy Royle’s 101 Magic Party Tricks. Yes, those trustee bastards knew what this distinguished friend, this favorite caring, laconic uncle to the nation did with the stiffs they got in here. The thing was, Freddy brought millions of pounds into the place with his fund-raising activities. This brought kudos to the trustees, and made St Hubbin’s Hospital a flagship for the arm’s-length trusts from the NHS. All they had to do was keep schtumm and indulge Sir Freddy with the odd body.”
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    Millie MuppetMillie Muppet Posts: 6,853
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    #6
    OP this has been playing on my mind for ages but unfortunately my copy of Ecstasy was misplaced a long time ago so I haven't had the chance to re-read.

    It certainly sounds like it.

    Love Irvine Welsh. :)
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    Residents FanResidents Fan Posts: 9,204
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    #7
    I'm bumping this thread because I reading an old issue of "The Sunday Times" in
    a cafe yesterday, and Welsh confirmed he had heard rumours about Savile's
    behaviour from a friend who knew people at Stoke Mandeville hospital. While
    he didn't know if the rumours were true at the time, he decided to
    work them into "Lorraine goes to Livingston".

    If you have a subscription, you can read the article here:

    http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article1408999.ece
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