[Jon Ross]

Interesting interview with Colin. I thought someone might track him down and ask him about this. I always thought it was funny when he said he found Jimmy more frightening than the Sontarans on a DVD a few years back, which in recent times has taken on a whole new meaning:

I met Jimmy Savile briefly in the 1980s when I was working on Doctor Who. A young man had written asking if he could “fix it” for him to meet the Doctor and travel in the Tardis. After the lad had saved the day and the Sontarans had been “fixed”, Savile entered the set and did his usual self-congratulatory shtick. I didn’t warm to him. His demeanour was neither friendly, nor inclusive. He behaved much as one might expect a child to behave who had been indulged and led to believe that life revolved around them. There was certainly none of the professional respect that one would expect to be shared when two programmes combine for a special purpose. Even though we were on the Tardis set, it was very much his territory and his agenda. A special scene was written, called A Fix with the Sontarans, which we duly rehearsed and recorded. The other actors and I had worked hard over a couple of days to create a relaxed atmosphere, but the first and only time he saw Savile was when he came on the set when the cameras were rolling. His eyes were cold and his demeanour patronising. I recall clearly the disappointment I felt for the young boy for whom I suspect the whole experience was daunting and overwhelming. At least it was I who got to put the Jim’ll Fix It medallion around his neck. There is of course a huge difference between finding someone creepy and patronising and suspecting them of being a sexual predator. I only hope that the BBC’s failure to investigate him does not tarnish, in the eyes of the world, an organisation that has rightly been regarded as a bastion of honest and honourable broadcasting for decades. There may have been individuals who could or should have been braver in confronting the unpleasant possibility of his depravity when rumours and accusations surfaced, but that is evidently also true of the hospitals and mental institutions that trusted him to the extent that he had his own set of keys for Broadmoor with living quarters on the site and a bedroom at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. A picture is emerging of a man unusually adept at manipulation and concealment. Identifying willing co-conspirators and abusers is much more important than demonising the bamboozled who may have thought their suspicions so far off the scale of decent human behaviour as to be unbelievable.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2BvNqgs96

[GDK]

I thought that was brilliant. A perfectly reasonable and understandable account of the sort of thing that must have happened time and again when people encountered Saville and a reasoned defence of the BBC. Thank you for sharing.

Amazed it's in the Mail, though!

[sovietusername]

Good for Colin!

[Batmannequin]

In this age of tabloid dumbing-down, knee-jerk reactions and wildly frantic soundbites, what a joy[well, as much as one can take joy from such an unimaginably horrible series of events] it is to see an intelligent and articulate response.

Well done Colin.

[codename_47]

Well he's gone up in my estimation for that, not that he was that low anyway

And not a moment too soon

[daveyboy7472]

I'm quite surprised it's taken so long for that appearance on Jim'll Fix it to even get mentioned on this forum. It was one of the first things I thought of when the story broke and I presume this story has only been mentioned now because of Colin Baker being in the jungle, though I'm open to correction there.

I know whenever I watched this previously that Saville kissing Janet Fielding's hand was a bit creepy but always thought that was just him trying to act the smooth guy. Now we know different.

Agree with comments above, it is a good account of his experience with Saville, which you would expect from him, I suppose.

[inspector drake]

After reading the article, I watched A fix with Sontarans again and couldn't help but notice the disgusted look Colin gave when Jimmy So-Vile kissed Tegan's hand.

[doctorwhofancal]

I wonder if he'll mention it in the jungle?

[Sophie ~Oohie~]

I just hope the whole 'radical overhaul of the BBC' doesn't end up ruining Doctor Who. It is one of their most popular programmes, so as long as *fingers crossed* they don't find anyone in it was involved or run out of money totally, might it be OK?

[Gene the Cow]

Originally Posted by Sophie ~Oohie~

I just hope the whole 'radical overhaul of the BBC' doesn't end up ruining Doctor Who. It is one of their most popular programmes, so as long as *fingers crossed* they don't find anyone in it was involved or run out of money totally, might it be OK?

I doubt it would ever affect an entertainment TV show. More about its internal policy and news arm

[Mulett]

I remember thinking - at the time - how brilliant I thought it was that they filmed an entire mini-episode for this boy, and how much work must have been put into it.

And at the end, how strangely Saville behaved when he just wandered into the console room as if he owned the place.

A great, balanced piece by Colin - particularly when you think how appallingly the BBC treated him!

[Sallyforth]

Excellent articulation of the view I would like to think most people hold of the Beeb, flawed yes, but condemned and doomed it certainly should not be.

[cat666]

Very well written.

Did anyone else hear/see the call to Radio Ulster where a woman read out an e-mail from someone sticking up for Savile saying he fixed it for him to milk a cow blindfolded? I know it's wrong but it made me chuckle.

[Sophie ~Oohie~]

Originally Posted by cat666

Very well written.

Did anyone else hear/see the call to Radio Ulster where a woman read out an e-mail from someone sticking up for Savile saying he fixed it for him to milk a cow blindfolded? I know it's wrong but it made me chuckle.

That joke's been going round for ages. Someone's got balls sending it to a radio station though!

[chuffnobbler]

Thanks for posting this piece. Very thoughtful and measured, in a way that so many Savile comments have not been.

[adams66]

Originally Posted by chuffnobbler

Thanks for posting this piece. Very thoughtful and measured, in a way that so many Savile comments have not been.

Exactly what I thought too. It's refreshingly free from all the hysteria that surrounds any mention of Savile these days.
But then, that's Colin B for you. He's a very sensible and thoughtful chap.