Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is a two-part true crime documentary series released by Netflix on April 6, 2022. It covers the life and career of the British television personality Jimmy Savile, his history of committing sexual abuse, and the scandal that occurred after his death in 2011, when numerous complaints were raised about his behaviour.

Interviewees As well as colleagues, associates and victims of Savile, some of the public figures interviewed for the series include:

Lynn Barber – journalist Ian Hislop – editor of Private Eye and Have I Got News for You panelist Mark Lawson – television critic Martin Young – television reporter Meirion Jones – investigative journalist Roger Ordish – BBC producer of Jim'll Fix It Dominic Carman – journalist Robin Butler – Civil Servant and Private Secretary to prime minister Margaret Thatcher Alison Bellamy – journalist and Savile's biographer Selina Scott – television journalist Marjorie Wallace – investigative journalist and founder of the charity SANE Carine Minne – forensic psychotherapist Andrew Neil – newspaper editor, journalist and television interviewer Samantha Brown - Survivor of Jimmy Savile

Archive footage A number of media personalities and significant historical figures are featured in archive footage.

William Shatner – actor Margaret Thatcher – British prime minister from 1979 to 1990 The Rolling Stones – rock band The Beatles – rock band Melvyn Bragg – novelist and television presenter Philip Tibenham – journalist Frank Muir – comedian and writer Desmond Llewelyn – actor Russell Harty – talk-show host Charles, Prince of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Andrew, Duke of York Sarah, Duchess of York Frank Bough – television presenter David Icke – former television sports reporter, and later conspiracy theorist Gloria Hunniford – television presenter Anne Diamond – television presenter Nick Owen – television presenter Kylie Minogue – pop singer Michael Aspel – talk-show host Edwina Currie – British politician Michael Parkinson – talk-show host Alan Arkin – actor Harry Secombe – comedian and television presenter Pope John Paul II George Carman – barrister and later Queen's Counsel Angus Deayton – television presenter Ricky Gervais – comedian and actor Craig Charles – actor and comedian Rhona Cameron – comedian Louis Theroux – documentary filmmaker Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd) – pop star and convicted paedophile George Galloway – British politician Michael Barrymore – television presenter Chantelle Houghton – media personality Pete Burns – pop star Dennis Rodman – basketball player Maggot – rapper Preston – singer Traci Bingham – actress and model Rula Lenska – actress Faria Alam – former Football Association secretary David Cameron – British prime minister from 2010 to 2016 Phillip Schofield – television presenter Holly Willoughby – television presenter Graham Linehan – comedy writer Jeremy Paxman – Newsnight presenter Fiona Bruce – newsreader Moira Stewart – newsreader Lorraine Kelly – television presenter Jon Snow – newsreader Huw Edwards – newsreader

Episodes

Reception

Reviewing the programme for The Independent, Louis Chilton said, "Netflix's two-part documentary is a slick and occasionally devastating portrait of Savile's evil life, but the subject matter proves too thorny for the standard true crime treatment." Carol Midgley for The Times said, "... like all documentaries about this disgusting pervert, unpleasant to watch. This is not just because of the gruesome detail, such as Savile routinely sticking his fingers into girls' vaginas and promising troubled teenagers trips to the BBC studios in return for oral sex. It is also uncomfortable because, as we know, the nation lauded, hero-worshipped and indeed knighted a psychopathic paedophile."

Writing in the Radio Times, Jane Garvey said "I was a student in the 1980s and we all 'knew' about him. There were always rumours. Some seemed faintly plausible, if unpleasant; others sounded quite outlandish and impossible, surely... In fact, they all turned out to be true. Even the outlandish stuff." The Globe and Mail John Doyle wrote, "One approaches this very thorough, meticulous production not with the vague sense of dread that accompanies watching other true-crime docu-series. Instead, you come to it already unsettled by knowledge of the sheer scope of his crimes, and with knowledge of his fame and reputation in Britain."

See also The Reckoning, a 2023 BBC mini-series with Steve Coogan portraying Savile

References

External links