Peelie was an exception proving the rule in those days but like them he was a legacy from the original Radio 1 DJs and someone poached from Radio Caroline - its in Peel's case he moved with the times when many on Radio 1 didn't.
Yes! Watching Esther, and what she says in the immediate wake of his death (just after the 1 minute mark) does really leave you lost for words, after what has since transpired!
He was one of those entertainers who when they popped their clogs I thought, Good, I shant ever have to watch him again, apart from being creepy he was dated and ugly and totally boring.
Not realising then what skeletons he had in his closet.
He was one of those entertainers who when they popped their clogs I thought, Good, I shant ever have to watch him again, apart from being creepy he was dated and ugly and totally boring.
Not realising then what skeletons he had in his closet.
He was one of those entertainers who when they popped their clogs I thought, Good, I shant ever have to watch him again, apart from being creepy he was dated and ugly and totally boring.
Not realising then what skeletons he had in his closet.
Looks dont bother me- Id never judge a person, specially an elderly man on their appearance.
I would also say I dont think boring would be the word for Jimmy Savile! There are plenty of words for him now we know what he was- but boring doesnt seem one of them if Im being totally honest.
If you listen to what Esther Rantzen and Tony Blackburn say (particularly Tony); they don't say anything like "he was a lovely man" - they tend to keep the positives for his charity work. It's a great way to talk about someone if suppose you didn't like them as a person. Big up the charity aspect of the person but say bu*ger all else about them.
I suspect that Tony Blackburn was doing his best not to talk ill of the dead; thus we have a 'charitable' account of Jimmy Savile as a person.
Looks dont bother me- Id never judge a person, specially an elderly man on their appearance.
I would also say I dont think boring would be the word for Jimmy Savile! There are plenty of words for him now we know what he was- but boring doesnt seem one of them if Im being totally honest.
Unfortunately, this is what some seem to criticise straight away, instead of what they should be criticising straight off.
I knew nothing about his hideous activities, but always disliked him as a so-called entertainer and couldn't understand how he lasted so long. Above all else, I thought he was cold as charity and utterly boring. You never found out what he thought about anything - he didn't seem to have a personality, just a persona that was really old-fashioned and weird rather than eccentric.
Im not saying that everyone is fibbing when they say they didnt like Saville but it is very much like WW2 when people said they didnt support Hitler or vote for him!
Unfortunately, this is what some seem to criticise straight away, instead of what they should be criticising straight off.
Glad you agree.
Its actually very sad people do this and Ive never liked it.
If the whole world was judged on how they looked, surely everyone would be labelled a pervert,paedo,weirdo, or whatever else....
I never liked him. He never replied to my letter to Jim'll Fix It when I asked him to fix it for my mum to meet Leo Sayer. Of course, I now know why he didn't bother replying, my mum (all of 26 at the time) was too old for him.
But seriously, he creeped me out big time. I heard the rumours about him a couple of years before he died so that turned me off him even more. Ugh.
You never found out what he thought about anything - he didn't seem to have a personality, just a persona that was really old-fashioned and weird rather than eccentric.
He had three catchphrases: 'Now then, now then'; 'How's about that, then!?' and, 'As it happens'. Of course he also had that strange yodel he did as a trademark tic. Beyond that, what he said was largely just waffle.
He did drop some hints as to his true self, though. He would say of children, 'Kid's-I hate 'em!' He also often used to say, 'I tell lies when it suits me' on which he had a variant, 'If I say something's so, then it's so. If it's not then it's actually not.' Also, on his mother, he more than once said, 'Once upon a time, I had to share her with all the rest of the world. When she was dead, she was all mine'. He also had a habit of calling himself 'The Godfather' and used to say how he was cynical about love and how fond he was of money.
Im not saying that everyone is fibbing when they say they didnt like Saville but it is very much like WW2 when people said they didnt support Hitler or vote for him!
A lot of people are. I never disliked him because he was never on my radar - that why when when I hear people saying now how powerful he was - I'm thinking WTF, really?! Maybe if he was on my radar he might have made my skin crawl, like so many do, especially some of our politicians including Boris.
He had three catchphrases: 'Now then, now then'; 'How's about that, then!?' and, 'As it happens'. Of course he also had that strange yodel he did as a trademark tic. Beyond that, what he said was largely just waffle.
at best he was a very mediocre TV presenter & DJ...nothing particularly talented about him
Watching interviews like these show how loved Jimmy was by the public.
Its interesting how much he seems to dislike Ricky Gervais. He never laughs once at his jokes. Though I cant say I blame him, this show looks vile.
So many people here with 20-20 hindsight. There are lots of people on TV I don't like but plenty of people do like them or they wouldn't be on. Same with Jimmy Savile. I didn't particularly like him but shows like Jim'll Fit It were incredibly popular. Looking back at his shows knowing the allegations that are out there he does appear creepy, but without that knowledge at the time he didn't. Weird yes, creepy no. Yes, he had a big ego, but so do a lot of TV performers and DJs. Despite what she says now, Esther Rantzen certainly could have done something about him at the time, assuming she heard about the complaints. Not only was she a big TV personality in her own right, she was married to Desmond Wilcox who was a TV producer and a powerful executive at the BBC at the time. I find her holier-than-thou protestations about Savile particularly self serving.
Some people who didn't report him at the time say he was incredibly powerful. That's not really true, he was rich and famous but not powerful. He may have had power over his victims because of his fame, but if any substantial complaints had been made he would have been disgraced and never employed by the BBC, or anyone else, again. The thing is despite the rumours he remained a popular figure. When he died the tributes made were genuine. Now people look back and see malevolent motives for everything he did.
A lot of people are. I never disliked him because he was never on my radar - that why when when I hear people saying now how powerful he was - I'm thinking WTF, really?!
Yep. I grew up in the 80s and remember- along with millions, I'll guess- watching and enjoying Jim'll Fix It. But beyond that?
He stopped doing TOTP in 1984, which might explain why I don't really recall that (then again, that applied to *all* the presenters- I watched it for the music). Vaguely remember the "age of the train" ads, but in my memory he was "Jim'll Fix It". One show, albeit a successful and major one.
So many people here with 20-20 hindsight. There are lots of people on TV I don't like but plenty of people do like them or they wouldn't be on.
This is the thing; people have said they thought Savile was cold, self-obsessed and/or strange. But to be honest, a lot of TV personalities are like that.
Even as an adult, would I only be seeing that in Savile's original TV appearances with the benefit of hindsight?
The thing is despite the rumours he remained a popular figure.
Problem is that there have been lots of rumours about lots of celebrities over the years, and most of them are utter b******s (e.g. how many different rock/pop stars have been associated with the "had to get stomach pumped due to swallowing too much semen" rumour?!)
People outside the TV industry may have heard things about Savile, but probably had no guide as to whether they were more plausible than any other rumours. Savile was a somewhat strange personality and worked with kids, so "paedo" rumours quite probaby would have been attached to him even if they'd had no basis in truth.
(I'm *not* saying I think he's innocent- only that if he *had* been, some rumours would probably still exist).
When he died the tributes made were genuine. Now people look back and see malevolent motives for everything he did.
This is true, up to a point. But in other respects, it's legitimate to question these things.
My association of Savile was with a show (Jim'll Fix It) I did enjoy watching. I really can't say whether I liked Savile or the show- I don't remember *that* much about it- but I understand the nostalgia and tributes.
OTOH, in the last decade I came to realise that Savile was a strange guy. Personally I thought he probably had some very weird issues barely under the surface and was possibly a repressed homosexual (hence his lack of a relationship).
Now? Well, it's clearer. It's legitimate to question Savile's motives with his public persona- in hindsight he was waving what he was doing under people's noses, and yet people missed it "hiding in plain sight". I think the real Savile was probably still a strange person, but it's quite reasonable to question how much of his public strangeness and opacity was a ploy.
I don't think that it's mainly about hindsight. Everyone I knew, always thought that the was a creep. Maybe it's to do with age and also critical awareness. Children would have accepted seeing him as a presenter because they were too young to do otherwise. People who accepted the format as family entertainment might have not noticed much about the guy fronting the programme.
No one I knew then thought anything similar about say...Eric Morecambe, Michael Palin, David Attenborough, Rolf Harris etc etc. They still wouldn't and I think their instincts and judgement would be absolutely correct. Jimmy Savile though seemed an inappropriate choice for both 'Top Of The Pops'and ' Jim'll Fix It'. I believe that some execs at the time were as dim as a 10 watt bulb.
I don't think that it's mainly about hindsight. Everyone I knew, always thought that the was a creep. Maybe it's to do with age and also critical awareness. Children would have accepted seeing him as a presenter because they were too young to do otherwise. People who accepted the format as family entertainment might have not noticed much about the guy fronting the programme.
No one I knew then thought anything similar about say...Eric Morecambe, Michael Palin, David Attenborough, Rolf Harris etc etc. They still wouldn't and I think their instincts and judgement would be absolutely correct. Jimmy Savile though seemed an inappropriate choice for both 'Top Of The Pops'and ' Jim'll Fix It'. I believe that some execs at the time were as dim as a 10 watt bulb.
Why would he have seemed a bad choice for TOTP at the time? He was an established radio DJ. It wasn't a childrens' pop show, though no doubt some underage girls got in. In hindsight Jim'll Fit It seems inappropriate but at the time he seemed a perfect host for it. I suppose it depends when you first remember him. I'm old enough to remember him starting on BBC TV, and at that time the only controversial thing about him was his hair, which was much longer than was the norm in 1964, and he dyed it various colours, which was unheard of for a bloke in those days. Absolutely no sign on screen of any inappropriate behaviour to people in the TOTP audience, or guests on JFI.
I'm sure some people did find him creepy at the time, but if it was most of the audience then people wouldn't have watched in the numbers they did. So I suspect most people didn't find him creepy.
Because he's dead, all accusations and rumours against him are simply assumed to be true. If he were still alive the whole things would have to be handled differently for legal reasons. He's being associated with all kinds of things which may not be true, but the public love a scandal and they love to see a famous person brought down. People like to be outraged, basically.
I think the saddest thing, apart from his family having to unmark his grave, is charities hurrying to disassociate themselves even before police enquiries have been completed. No one is all good or all bad. Whatever crimes he committed he also did do some good things.
Comments
Peelie was an exception proving the rule in those days but like them he was a legacy from the original Radio 1 DJs and someone poached from Radio Caroline - its in Peel's case he moved with the times when many on Radio 1 didn't.
Yes! Watching Esther, and what she says in the immediate wake of his death (just after the 1 minute mark) does really leave you lost for words, after what has since transpired!
Not realising then what skeletons he had in his closet.
Snap.
Looks dont bother me- Id never judge a person, specially an elderly man on their appearance.
I would also say I dont think boring would be the word for Jimmy Savile! There are plenty of words for him now we know what he was- but boring doesnt seem one of them if Im being totally honest.
If you listen to what Esther Rantzen and Tony Blackburn say (particularly Tony); they don't say anything like "he was a lovely man" - they tend to keep the positives for his charity work. It's a great way to talk about someone if suppose you didn't like them as a person. Big up the charity aspect of the person but say bu*ger all else about them.
I suspect that Tony Blackburn was doing his best not to talk ill of the dead; thus we have a 'charitable' account of Jimmy Savile as a person.
Unfortunately, this is what some seem to criticise straight away, instead of what they should be criticising straight off.
Glad you agree.
Its actually very sad people do this and Ive never liked it.
If the whole world was judged on how they looked, surely everyone would be labelled a pervert,paedo,weirdo, or whatever else....
But seriously, he creeped me out big time. I heard the rumours about him a couple of years before he died so that turned me off him even more. Ugh.
He had three catchphrases: 'Now then, now then'; 'How's about that, then!?' and, 'As it happens'. Of course he also had that strange yodel he did as a trademark tic. Beyond that, what he said was largely just waffle.
He did drop some hints as to his true self, though. He would say of children, 'Kid's-I hate 'em!' He also often used to say, 'I tell lies when it suits me' on which he had a variant, 'If I say something's so, then it's so. If it's not then it's actually not.' Also, on his mother, he more than once said, 'Once upon a time, I had to share her with all the rest of the world. When she was dead, she was all mine'. He also had a habit of calling himself 'The Godfather' and used to say how he was cynical about love and how fond he was of money.
A lot of people are. I never disliked him because he was never on my radar - that why when when I hear people saying now how powerful he was - I'm thinking WTF, really?! Maybe if he was on my radar he might have made my skin crawl, like so many do, especially some of our politicians including Boris.
at best he was a very mediocre TV presenter & DJ...nothing particularly talented about him
Its interesting how much he seems to dislike Ricky Gervais. He never laughs once at his jokes. Though I cant say I blame him, this show looks vile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdFHIGW-dE
Some people who didn't report him at the time say he was incredibly powerful. That's not really true, he was rich and famous but not powerful. He may have had power over his victims because of his fame, but if any substantial complaints had been made he would have been disgraced and never employed by the BBC, or anyone else, again. The thing is despite the rumours he remained a popular figure. When he died the tributes made were genuine. Now people look back and see malevolent motives for everything he did.
on the whole, thats a fair assessment
Yep. I grew up in the 80s and remember- along with millions, I'll guess- watching and enjoying Jim'll Fix It. But beyond that?
He stopped doing TOTP in 1984, which might explain why I don't really recall that (then again, that applied to *all* the presenters- I watched it for the music). Vaguely remember the "age of the train" ads, but in my memory he was "Jim'll Fix It". One show, albeit a successful and major one.
This is the thing; people have said they thought Savile was cold, self-obsessed and/or strange. But to be honest, a lot of TV personalities are like that.
Even as an adult, would I only be seeing that in Savile's original TV appearances with the benefit of hindsight?
Problem is that there have been lots of rumours about lots of celebrities over the years, and most of them are utter b******s (e.g. how many different rock/pop stars have been associated with the "had to get stomach pumped due to swallowing too much semen" rumour?!)
People outside the TV industry may have heard things about Savile, but probably had no guide as to whether they were more plausible than any other rumours. Savile was a somewhat strange personality and worked with kids, so "paedo" rumours quite probaby would have been attached to him even if they'd had no basis in truth.
(I'm *not* saying I think he's innocent- only that if he *had* been, some rumours would probably still exist).
This is true, up to a point. But in other respects, it's legitimate to question these things.
My association of Savile was with a show (Jim'll Fix It) I did enjoy watching. I really can't say whether I liked Savile or the show- I don't remember *that* much about it- but I understand the nostalgia and tributes.
OTOH, in the last decade I came to realise that Savile was a strange guy. Personally I thought he probably had some very weird issues barely under the surface and was possibly a repressed homosexual (hence his lack of a relationship).
Now? Well, it's clearer. It's legitimate to question Savile's motives with his public persona- in hindsight he was waving what he was doing under people's noses, and yet people missed it "hiding in plain sight". I think the real Savile was probably still a strange person, but it's quite reasonable to question how much of his public strangeness and opacity was a ploy.
No one I knew then thought anything similar about say...Eric Morecambe, Michael Palin, David Attenborough, Rolf Harris etc etc. They still wouldn't and I think their instincts and judgement would be absolutely correct. Jimmy Savile though seemed an inappropriate choice for both 'Top Of The Pops'and ' Jim'll Fix It'. I believe that some execs at the time were as dim as a 10 watt bulb.
Ha a lot of them still are
I'm sure some people did find him creepy at the time, but if it was most of the audience then people wouldn't have watched in the numbers they did. So I suspect most people didn't find him creepy.
Because he's dead, all accusations and rumours against him are simply assumed to be true. If he were still alive the whole things would have to be handled differently for legal reasons. He's being associated with all kinds of things which may not be true, but the public love a scandal and they love to see a famous person brought down. People like to be outraged, basically.
I think the saddest thing, apart from his family having to unmark his grave, is charities hurrying to disassociate themselves even before police enquiries have been completed. No one is all good or all bad. Whatever crimes he committed he also did do some good things.