If I were Leonard Rossiters family I'd sue any newspaper that named him in connection with sexual abuse - let them prove it. Same with any other dead people's families; any live person arrested will get the opportunity to contest, with the help of lawyers, the allegations made against them, but the dead can't speak so it's up to their families to speak for them.
The whole thing is getting so ridiculous, I fully expect Eric and Ernie to be next to be accused, with the Daily Mail ever so helpfully reminding us of their famous 'in bed together' scenes. Or will it be the Ronnie Barker, with his son's proclivities used as 'evidence' against him? I guess some people are drawing up a list already.
PS. I'd better make it clear that I've only used these men's names as examples of how ANY dead person could be accused of paedophilia or other sexual offences, I don't for a minute think any of them are guilty of anything.
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
Leonard Rossiter talentless? he was a very accomplished actor
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
A disgraceful story devised by people who, quite frankly, couldn't care less about the abuse victims as long as it gives them more ammunition to bash the BBC with.
I can see the Murdoch family and the owners of the Daily Mail giving orders to their reporters. "Go for dead celebs associated with the BBC, and dig out all the dirt. Do all that you can to avoid Conservative paedos being mentioned. And for God's sake don't any of you dare mention that it's now public knowledge that the last Conservative Prime Minister had an affair with one of his ministers and cheated on his wife while going on in his speeches about family values. Remember, the BBC are a bunch of Satanists, the Conservatives are perfect. Now get to it."
Actually, the DM regularly makes references to Major's fling with Edwina.
Probably just a story raked up to deflect from the scandal involving a high ranking tory. Isn't that what newspapers sometimes do, is it called a 'spoiler'?
Colin Baker @SawbonesHex
I worked at the BBC frequently during the late 60's and 70's and never saw a whiff of anything approaching naughty - let alone depraved.
Susan Penhaligon
Apologies but have to speak out. I worked with Leonard Rossiter and at the BBC many times in the 70's. Hotbed of depravity? What? #Sun
Sam Kelly
@susanpenhaligon As predicted, the Savile business will get buried by stuff like this. It musn't happen.
This whole mess is getting beyond a joke now. I now am wondering which dead celeb they'll slander next.
These people seem to like accusing people who are dead and can not defend themselves.
I am at a point where I now think more than 50% of these accusations are false.
I do not believe, and will be totally gobsmacked if Freddie Starr does turn out to be an abuser and if/when he is found innocent, I hope he sues the backside of that Karen woman.
And as for the ones accusing Gary Glitter, I wonder why they didn't crawl out of the woodwork when he was first accused of being a paedophile years ago..oh yes I see now, there was no mention of compensation then was there.
This whole mess is getting beyond a joke now. I now am wondering which dead celeb they'll slander next.
These people seem to like accusing people who are dead and can not defend themselves.
I am at a point where I now think more than 50% of these accusations are false.
I do not believe, and will be totally gobsmacked if Freddie Starr does turn out to be an abuser and if/when he is found innocent, I hope he sues the backside of that Karen woman.
And as for the ones accusing Gary Glitter, I wonder why they didn't crawl out of the woodwork when he was first accused of being a paedophile years ago..oh yes I see now, there was no mention of compensation then was there.
Max Clifford (much as I dislike the bloke) has said that he reckons 50% of the stories that are being told to him are untrue.
Whilst I don't doubt that Karin Ward was abused, I think her powers of recall have to be examined very carefully. She's changed her mind about Freddie Starr smelling of booze to smelling of cologne, and she's said that Duncroft staff gave the girls Lithium, so she could have been confused about what actually happened.
As to GG, we don't know what he was actually questioned about. Nobody has crawled out of the woodwork to make allegations against him so far from what I can see.
I think the Newsnight failure to name & shame a 'prominent Tory' was blocked legally, so its not so easy getting those that are still alive, fabulously wealthy & and have influence
Max Clifford (much as I dislike the bloke) has said that he reckons 50% of the stories that are being told to him are untrue.
Whilst I don't doubt that Karin Ward was abused, I think her powers of recall have to be examined very carefully. She's changed her mind about Freddie Starr smelling of booze to smelling of cologne, and she's said that Duncroft staff gave the girls Lithium, so she could have been confused about what actually happened.
As to GG, we don't know what he was actually questioned about. Nobody has crawled out of the woodwork to make allegations against him so far from what I can see.
I watched an interview with karin ward and she said she saw Gary Glitter having sex with a 13 year old.
She seemed quite smug when she said it too, I thought.
So yesterday the BBC make a big deal that Newsnight is going to reveal details of an MP who is a paedo but now the focus is on an old BBC star being accused of sex crimes?
Is this the BBC and the government just trying to outdo each other?
Who is the coalition equivalent of Alistair Campbell/Malcolm Tucker?
So yesterday the BBC make a big deal that Newsnight is going to reveal details of an MP who is a paedo but now the focus is on an old BBC star being accused of sex crimes?
Is this the BBC and the government just trying to outdo each other?
Who is the coalition equivalent of Alistair Campbell/Malcolm Tucker?
As I understand it was an independent reporter working for the BBC on that story that made a big fuss about it and implying that the politician in question would be named, before it was broadcast rather than the network itself
Am getting bored with this witch hunt now and if anything they should be looking for people who are alive and behaving this way now and not dead people 40yrs ago.
Am getting bored with this witch hunt now and if anything they should be looking for people who are alive and behaving this way now and not dead people 40yrs ago.
If I were Leonard Rossiters family I'd sue any newspaper that named him in connection with sexual abuse - let them prove it. Same with any other dead people's families; any live person arrested will get the opportunity to contest, with the help of lawyers, the allegations made against them, but the dead can't speak so it's up to their families to speak for them.
The whole thing is getting so ridiculous, I fully expect Eric and Ernie to be next to be accused, with the Daily Mail ever so helpfully reminding us of their famous 'in bed together' scenes. Or will it be the Ronnie Barker, with his son's proclivities used as 'evidence' against him? I guess some people are drawing up a list already.
PS. I'd better make it clear that I've only used these men's names as examples of how ANY dead person could be accused of paedophilia or other sexual offences, I don't for a minute think any of them are guilty of anything.
I completely agree with you. How on earth can you prove something that happened when a person has been dead for almost thirty years? They should have said something at the time and, if they didn't, then keep quiet about it now. It's not fair to the deceased celebrity and it's not fair to their families.
Sounds more like a works prank to me anyway. Different days ...
This man was 18 and an extra in a play about sex, yet he is going on like he's a sweet, innocent, naive little boy, when in fact he was an adult of 18 starring as an extra in a play about sex, does anyone else not see how stupid this sounds?
I don't believe Leonard Rossiter to be guilty of this apparent sex act on himself from a distance, purely because the man is a straight man and not gay. Why would seeing an 18 year old man's alleged attempted rape turn a straight man on? Power? Nah, I don't buy it.
Savile, Glitter, Starr, all of them are believable to me as they all seem a bit odd.
Would YOTSO have been rehearsed at Television Centre though?, it would have been at the Acton hilton or some such, surely?
I thought in those days the only rehearsal rooms at television centre were the actual studios on recording days.
Yes, it would have only had 2 or 3 days in the actual studio, with VTR late on the last day.
The rule of thumb was half-hour programmes were generally done over a week, with 1 studio day. Hour programmes over 2 weeks, with 2 studio days.
YOTSO - I don't know how long it was, or what the policies were regarding programmes > 1 hour. But no way would the whole period been spent rehearsing on the actual set. Didn't happen then.
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
You are aware that if this was true which I doubt due to the way the story has been run from anonymous sources, that it would be a crime of sexual assault not paedophilia, 18 year olds are not paedophile territory.
I watched an interview with karin ward and she said she saw Gary Glitter having sex with a 13 year old. She seemed quite smug when she said it too, I thought.
Probably will be until someone tells her that if that's so and she did not attempt to stop it or report it she is an accomplice after the fact and can be taken to court over it !!!
Actually, the DM regularly makes references to Major's fling with Edwina.
Edwina was on the Saturday Night Show on RTE 1 last night and the first 5 minutes of the interview was taken up with her talking about how she didn't like JS and how she found him vile.
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
Talentless?
Leonard Rossiter is widely regarded as being in the prestigious category of incredibly talented.
Comments
With a defamation case the person bringing the action(ie: Rossiter's family) would have to PROVE he was not a paedo. Just because The Sun prints it that is not just a legal action in its own right!
Must say I was shocked to read about it. He is either innocent or a disgusting old boring talentless abuser!
knock Knock!
- Who;s there?
Your Nicked?
- Nicked Who?
Get in the car yer perve!
Leonard Rossiter talentless? he was a very accomplished actor
Obviously it's a matter of opinion, but even if (IF!) he was a disgusting abuser, he was neither boring nor talentless.
No one has alleged that he was a 'paedo'.
And he certainly wasn't talentless.
Actually, the DM regularly makes references to Major's fling with Edwina.
Susan Penhaligon
Sam Kelly
These people seem to like accusing people who are dead and can not defend themselves.
I am at a point where I now think more than 50% of these accusations are false.
I do not believe, and will be totally gobsmacked if Freddie Starr does turn out to be an abuser and if/when he is found innocent, I hope he sues the backside of that Karen woman.
And as for the ones accusing Gary Glitter, I wonder why they didn't crawl out of the woodwork when he was first accused of being a paedophile years ago..oh yes I see now, there was no mention of compensation then was there.
Max Clifford (much as I dislike the bloke) has said that he reckons 50% of the stories that are being told to him are untrue.
Whilst I don't doubt that Karin Ward was abused, I think her powers of recall have to be examined very carefully. She's changed her mind about Freddie Starr smelling of booze to smelling of cologne, and she's said that Duncroft staff gave the girls Lithium, so she could have been confused about what actually happened.
As to GG, we don't know what he was actually questioned about. Nobody has crawled out of the woodwork to make allegations against him so far from what I can see.
I watched an interview with karin ward and she said she saw Gary Glitter having sex with a 13 year old.
She seemed quite smug when she said it too, I thought.
Is this the BBC and the government just trying to outdo each other?
Who is the coalition equivalent of Alistair Campbell/Malcolm Tucker?
As I understand it was an independent reporter working for the BBC on that story that made a big fuss about it and implying that the politician in question would be named, before it was broadcast rather than the network itself
That's the plan
Absolutely. I hope it doesn't work.
I completely agree with you. How on earth can you prove something that happened when a person has been dead for almost thirty years? They should have said something at the time and, if they didn't, then keep quiet about it now. It's not fair to the deceased celebrity and it's not fair to their families.
Sounds more like a works prank to me anyway. Different days ...
I don't believe Leonard Rossiter to be guilty of this apparent sex act on himself from a distance, purely because the man is a straight man and not gay. Why would seeing an 18 year old man's alleged attempted rape turn a straight man on? Power? Nah, I don't buy it.
Savile, Glitter, Starr, all of them are believable to me as they all seem a bit odd.
Yes, it would have only had 2 or 3 days in the actual studio, with VTR late on the last day.
The rule of thumb was half-hour programmes were generally done over a week, with 1 studio day. Hour programmes over 2 weeks, with 2 studio days.
YOTSO - I don't know how long it was, or what the policies were regarding programmes > 1 hour. But no way would the whole period been spent rehearsing on the actual set. Didn't happen then.
You are aware that if this was true which I doubt due to the way the story has been run from anonymous sources, that it would be a crime of sexual assault not paedophilia, 18 year olds are not paedophile territory.
Probably will be until someone tells her that if that's so and she did not attempt to stop it or report it she is an accomplice after the fact and can be taken to court over it !!!
Edwina was on the Saturday Night Show on RTE 1 last night and the first 5 minutes of the interview was taken up with her talking about how she didn't like JS and how she found him vile.
Talentless?
Leonard Rossiter is widely regarded as being in the prestigious category of incredibly talented.