Jimmy Savile

For the leader of the England cricket team's Barmy Army, popularly known as Jimmy Savile, see Vic Flowers.

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE, KCSG (born 31 October 1926), commonly called Jimmy Savile, is a British DJ, actor and television personality. He is best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It where he made the wishes of members of the public (mainly children) come true and as a long-time presenter of the hit music show Top Of The Pops.

Early life

Savile was born in Leeds. He was a Bevin Boy, drafted during World War II to work as a coal miner. He later worked as a dance hall manager and a hospital porter at Broadmoor Hospital. He also became a semi-professional sportsman, racing in the 1951 Tour of Britain cycle race and becoming a wrestler.

Savile purports to have been the first person to DJ with two turntables and a microphone at the Guardbridge Hotel.

Television and radio career

Savile started off his radio career working as a Radio Luxembourg DJ from 1958 to 1967.

On New Year's Day, 1964, he presented the first televised edition of British music chart television programme Top of the Pops in Higher Broughton, Salford, Manchester. He will co-present the last edition of the Top of the Pops on 30 July, 2006. He presented the television programme Jim'll Fix It from 1975 to 1994.

He is also well remembered for a long running series of commercials for British Rail (in which he declared "this is the age of the train") and a series of Public Information films promoting road safety, notably "Clunk Click Every Trip".

He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1968, where he initially presented Savile's Travels and the discussion show Speakeasy. His best-remembered contribution to Radio 1, however, is the Sunday lunchtime show Jimmy Savile's Old Record Club, where entire top tens from years gone by were played. The format was similar to Alan Freeman's Pick of the Pops show. It began in 1973 (initially called The Double Top Ten Show) and ended in 1987, at which point he left Radio 1 after 19 years, although he subsequently revived his Radio 1 shows for commercial Gold-format stations up until 1994. On Christmas Day, 2005, Savile presented a one-off show on the Real Radio network.

In 1994 Chris Morris announced on BBC Radio 1 (as a joke) that Savile had collapsed and died; this prompted legal action.

He wrongly claims to be the only person to be featured on This Is Your Life twice; he is one of several. Savile's second appearance was a result of the production team being unaware of his previous appearance.

Savile visited the Celebrity Big Brother house on both January 14 and January 15 2006. During these visits he "fixed it" for some of the housemates to receive their wish; for example, Pete Burns received a message from his significant other and friend whilst Dennis Rodman was able to trade Savile's offering for a supply of cigarettes for other housemates.

Honours

In 1971 he was created an OBE, which he always subsequently appended to his signature
In 1990 he received a knighthood, becoming "Sir Jimmy Savile".
He also was honoured with the papal knighthood from the Vatican making him a Knight Commander of Saint Gregory the Great (KCSG).
He holds an honorary doctorate of law (LLD) from Leeds University.
Honorary fellow of the Royal College of Radiology (FRCR).
He is also a Knight of Malta and an Esteemed Friend of Israel.

Character

His catchphrases include "How's about that, then?", "Now then, now then, now then" and "Guys and gals". He has frequently been spoofed for his distinctive appearance (track suit, lots of jewellery, cigar and masses of white hair). Savile was also the subject of a Louis Theroux documentary, made in 1999 and shown in 2000 as part of the When Louis Met... series. He currently lives at his long-term residence in flats overlooking Roundhay Park, Leeds (shown in the aforementioned documentary) and is frequently spotted in the local area, often out jogging.

One of the United Kingdom's most recognised personalities, he has carried out a significant amount of charity work, including raising money for the Stoke Mandeville Hospital where he also worked as a volunteer porter, and for years he was the honorary president of Phab. In total he has "helped raise" over £40,000,000.

He is also known for running marathons (many of them again for Phab in their annual half marathon around Hyde Park) and completed the London Marathon in 2005. There are many tales that Savile starts and finishes marathons but actually gets a lift for much of the 26 mile distance.

He was named as one of the Radio Times' Top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time in July 2004. A bachelor, he lived with his mother (whom he refers to as "The Duchess") until her death and has kept her bedroom and wardrobe exactly as it was when she died. Every year, he has her clothes dry cleaned.

He is rumoured to have a grand piano in his flat, from which he recorded a piano version of a song by the English band Iron Maiden (see ^*). He is also rumoured to have carried out voluntary work at the mortuary at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Savile also has one of the most commonly misspelt names in showbiz. It is Savile with one 'l' (as in Savile Row), not two.

He also has a bench in memory of himself with the words 'Jimmy Savile - but not just yet!' engraved. The bench is in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

He has a long association with the Fort William area and has run part of the Ben Nevis Race course several times in his younger days. He has had a house in Glencoe for some years and lives part of the time there. He is Honorary Chieftain of the Lochaber Highland Games and most years leads the pipe band through Fort William to the Games.

Works

Books

Jimmy Savile, Love is an Uphill Thing, ISBN 0340199253, Hodder & Stoughton 1978
Jimmy Savile, As it happens, ISBN 0214200566, Barrie & Jenkins 1974
Jimmy Savile, God'll Fix It, ISBN 0264664574, Mowbray, Oxford 1979

External links