Louis Theroux - Jimmy Savile
It's somewhat like a scene from a low budget horror movie, which isn't far from the truth!
Louis Theroux - Jimmy Savile
Submitted by Llwynog45 on Wed, 05/10/2016 - 12:38
By Llwynog45
"Jimmy, what you up to" ironically is the first line in this follow-up documentary which sees Louis riding a bike around in circles in a bare, but garish red front room filmed in his new home in 2001. It's somewhat like a scene from a low budget horror movie, which isn't far from the truth!
At the time of the original Jimmy Savile documentary, Louis was mostly known for his profiles of American eccentrics and oddball British celebs. The original, although fascinating and rather creepy missed one big thing, the real horrific truth about Savile. Something Louis seems to feel guilt about.
A documentary maker once told me, "Everything on TV is fake", with that statement in mind this seems as real as it gets, as Louis visits some of Jimmy's victims and tackles his own haunting and shame in this riveting if ultimately sad 75 minutes of classy television.
When Cherie, a patient at Stoke Mandeville following an unwanted pregnancy recalls the sordid and frankly bizarre episode when Jimmy seemed to abseil into her ward and thrust his cigar flavored tongue down her throat, it was truly like a scene from a horror movie. The eerie background music reached a crescendo as Cherie recalled Savile pointing angrily at her and repeating the phrase “You’ve been a naughty girl!” getting louder and repeating “You’ve been a naughty girl!” and again “You’ve been a naughty girl!” until the screen distorts and fades to black.
There are many moments here, with many different points of view, and perhaps surprisingly, those that thought they knew him best seemed to be in most denial. His personal assistant for 30 years Janet Cope, who was treated shabbily by Savile thought it impossible that ‘Jimmy’ (although she confirmed he was a liar) could do anything wrong whatsoever. Rather like Hitler’s secretary whom only saw the dog-loving vegetarian, Janet seemed hypnotized by Savile’s charms. Others couldn’t comprehend how Louis was totally ‘duped’ by this monster when all the clues where there, on FILM! And there are plenty of clues, and plenty of not seen footage to back up the story.
Ultimately this is perhaps more about Louis and us the viewers, because the real question the documentary asks is “Were we all groomed”. It was the charity work that Savile embarked on , funded by the public that gave Savile the perfect opportunity to commit his vile crimes, and cause both physical and mental suffering to so many.
Louis is very likeable on screen, and the way he gently probes with understanding and consideration makes this more watchable than it should be. It seemed that Theroux didn’t quite know where to place himself within this harrowing tale, it’s a much watch, and most importantly it shows that it doesn’t matter how long you point a camera at someone, you will never see the truth. It’s TV after all.
There are 4 Comments
Found this documentary very disturbing to watch
By Alex Latimer
Sat back to watch this programme on Sunday with interest having watched the original one back in 2000 about the odious, creepy little man that was Jimmy Savile. Can't help but feel for Louis who seemed to be torturing himself, "I became friends with this man, why didn't I do more to stop this", along with most of the BBC I should imagine.
How did this man get away with this for so long, he had the charisma of a dartboard and certainly wasn't blessed with the greatest of looks and had no personality at all, yet he seemed to draw people towards him and manage to gain their trust.
His PA Janet explained how after many years of loyalty and friendship she was tossed aside without a thank you or a valid reason yet she seemed to think all the allegations were untrue and there is no way Jimmy could have done these things. Another woman was praying to her Savile souvenirs/relics in the spare room, begging him to come back somehow and sort it all out, "please stop these people from tarnishing your memory".
On the other side of the coin we heard from two of his victims, their memories of him were oh so very different, how scared and horrified they must have been at the time, knowing that no one would believe them over this TV/Radio/charitable giant who could do no wrong.
Being a 70's child myself, I never did understand why children of my age would write to this man to get things fixed, he always gave me the creeps, I would have been terrified to meet him, having said that no one I knew (and there were a few) who wrote to him ever did get on the programme, in hindsight, lucky them. I was fooled in later years when there were many reports on the news about yet another marathon this amazing old man had run, I cheered along with everyone else when he passed the finishing line, what a guy.
I wish he had lived long enough to face his punishment, I guess he knew it would all be revealed eventually, not many people choose their final resting place to be encased in concrete. Let's hope he is stoking coals into fire's for a very long time!
Found this documentary very disturbing to watch but at the same time very fascinating, well done Louis for having the courage to do it, hope it has managed to give you at least some kind of closure.
Hi Kev
Hi Kevin. Why is this review listed under your name? Hop things are good with you.
Phil
Jimmy Savile
Hello Phil. It says "by Llwynog45" and when I tweeted it I said it was by you. Had to cut and paste it because you filed it under 50 Years Of Terry Wogan. You wrote a good piece, enjoyed it. Send us some more. Cheers, Kevin
AN ASHAMED, INTROSPECTIVE AND HOODWINKED LOUIS!
This was a BBC Two documentary by Louis Theroux with a difference. Never before have we seen him revisit one of his earlier programmes. First aired fifteen years ago, he looked back at the documentary he did with the now late Jimmy Savile, entitled 'When Louis Met Jimmy'. Jimmy Savile was of course this huge radio and television star back in the 70s and 80s, also famous for doing lots of charitable fundraising. It is three years ago since his vast number of sexual offences were finally uncovered. In this programme Louis wanted to try and understand how he had got away with his crimes for so long.
As well as looking back at the old documentary footage, Louis now sought to gain a further insight into Savile by talking to some of his former victims and people that knew him. Louis sympathetically prodded them like only he could, i.e. brilliantly respectful but never shirking away from asking a difficult question or two when needed. Nevertheless, Louis appeared vulnerable like we have never seen him before because he too had been duped by Savile. This was a moving, disturbing and engrossing watch throughout.
Detailing how Savile was this vile man due to his disgusting criminal behaviour was shocking, but at the same time it added nothing new to the topic. I also found myself already knowing most of what victim Kat Ward said to Louis because I had already seen her in a previous ITV1 documentary about Savile. The other people featured were new to me however. Their interviews and shocking accounts underpinned the whole structure of this documentary.
One disgusting anecdote about Savile that I had never heard of before came from a lady called Susan in Leeds. Susan detailed how in the early 70s she had been a student studying to be an optician. Savile had requested that ''her with the big knockers and short skirt'', delivered his glasses to his terraced house. As Susan went to put the spectacles on his head, she recalled how he groped her breasts and dropped his trousers to reveal his ''wrinkly pink willy''. Only recently we were told has Susan now realised that this was indeed a sexual assault by Savile.
A more shocking and sickening account came from victim Cherie Wheatcroft. In 1973, she had been a inpatient at Stoke Mandeville Hospital due to giving birth as a teenager. She told us how Savile had come through a window of her hospital ward. He then sexually assaulted her and repeatedly mocked her with his tongue, e.g. ''You've been a naughty girl''.
The most moving and disturbing bit of evidence came near the end from a lady called Sam. She revealed how Savile had sexually abused her when she was aged just eleven and whilst she was attending church. Her job was to pass the collection plate around and it was whilst she was getting it and putting it back in a room did the abuse then take place. It was really heartrending stuff to listen too. An example of this was when she distressingly stated, ''I never said don't because I knew he could''.
Sam's interview also needs further applauding because she made a broader significant point about sexual abuse, the abuse she had suffered from the age of two from her Granddad. She commentated how people have trouble understanding how she can still have fond memories of her late Granddad. In a highly emotional state, she told us how this was her way of coping with what had happened because, ''you can't have a whole childhood of horrible stuff, so I take the good bits out cos it's easier to do that''. Louis was at his supportive best here. He conveyed immense empathy towards Sam and stated to her how people who do evil things are still capable of doing good things, but this does not mean that they are good people.
In light now of all the damning evidence that has come out against Savile, it was truly astonishing to listen to a few people try and defend him. Janet Cope was his former PA and had worked extremely closely with him for almost thirty years. Janet stated to Louis, ''Jim is now lying in an unmarked grave on a hill in Yorkshire and he's not recognised anymore as the good, good person that he was''. She added that she did not believe the allegations made against him. Louis once again here displayed his marvelous courteous style, asking Janet if she was able to be objective about Jimmy due to knowing him for so long?
Another defender of Savile's was a lady called Sylvia Nicol, she had once worked at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital as a medical secretary. Sylvia explained how she had done many fundraising events with him and ''only saw the good in him''. She remembered him rather fondly as she stated that there would not have been that new spinal centre if it had not been for Jimmy Savile.
Hearing these two ladies defend Savile made for uncomfortable viewing but the documentary needs praising for this. It was important to show that there are people out there who think like this.
A striking feature of this documentary was how Louis for the first time, was quizzed and critiqued by the people that he interviewed. He asked for their feedback on the first programme he had done with Jimmy Savile fifteen years ago. For example, Kat Ward said how she thought he had been ''hoodwinked'' by Savile. Cherie Wheatcroft thought Louis had been ''gullible'' and that Jimmy had been ''manipulative''.
Louis throughout displayed an inner turmoil of guilt which was another first for one of his shows. He told every interviewee how he struggled with the fact that he had failed to uncover the truth about Savile. He told Sam, ''and then I feel ashamed, knowing what we know now''. Another admission was when he told Kat, ''after he died I really had to erm, take a step back and examine my own conscience a little bit, to think about well what did I miss and what more could I have done''. It was interesting to see Louis contemplate his past experiences with Savile so much, because it gave him a vulnerability on camera that we have never seen like this before.
At the start of the programme Louis said that he wanted to try and understand how Savile had got away with his crimes. This was achieved because the same things kept coming up in the interviews. Savile's charity work, his celebrity status and him being very well connected with the most powerful in society back then were possible explanations given. Louis spoke of Savile having this aura of 'invulnerability' about him. My only slight criticism here is that Louis should have criticised the BBC more for role they played in all of this, i.e. the damning findings in the Dame Janet Smith report.
This documentary was an uncomfortable watch, but at the same time it was a brilliant watch. Louis Theroux and his documentaries remain one of the best things on TV! 4/5.