Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is a two-part Netflix documentary series released 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:
Jimmy Savile rises to superstardom, first as a radio DJ, then as a TV presenter for Top of the Pops and children's TV show Jim'll Fix It. His apparently tireless volunteer and charity work, particularly for Stoke Mandeville Hospital, combined with his eccentric personality, make him a beloved public figure, and by the 1980s is one of the most famous faces in Britain. He develops close relationships with the British establishment, including politicians and members of the British royal family. But many who encounter him are struck by dark undercurrents to his persona, and sinister rumours circulate around his private life.
2
"Part 2"
Rowan Deacon
April 6, 2022 (2022-04-06)
Savile's fame and charity work allows him extraordinary access to vulnerable patients as a volunteer at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital and Stoke Mandeville. Journalists probe the rumours around him but are never able to expose him, as Savile is protected by powerful political and professional connections, the affection of the general public, and his own skill in controlling and manipulating his public image. In 2007 an ageing Savile is questioned under caution by police but is not charged, and in 2011 he dies as a loved and admired "national treasure". A damning posthumous investigation by journalists at the BBC's current affairs programme Newsnight indicts Savile, but the film is shelved by the producers and never broadcast. Nearly a year after his death, Savile's crimes are finally exposed by rival TV channel ITV, creating a scandal that implicates some of the most important institutions in the country.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.00/10. The website's consensus reads: "Charting the rise and fall of Jimmy Savile's public persona, A British Horror Story is a chilling examination of how a nation became enamored with a monster hiding in plain sight."[3]
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."[4] 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."[5]
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."[6]The Globe and Mail's 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."[7]
