Jimmy Savile victim groped on TV fears Steve Coogan will ‘struggle’ playing ‘monster’- as BBC drama faces calls to be axed | UK News
A woman scouted by Jimmy Savile on Top Of The Pops fears Steve Coogan will “struggle” to portray the “monster” in an upcoming BBC drama, amid calls for the film cut.
Sylvia Edwards was 18 years old when she was attacked in front of the camera during a music show taping, but her complaint about the presenter’s behavior was dismissed by a crew member who said it was “just Jimmy Savile”.
Footage from the 1976 show shows the incident as she tries to escape Savilewho said to the camera: “One guy can get used to all of this.”
Ms Edwards told Sky News she spoke of her ordeal with the producers of the mini-series The Reckoning, which will feature Coogan as a serial abuser later this year.
Coogan defended the film following criticism for its potential impact on Savile’s victims, with BBC also faced claims of hypocrisy during the show’s broadcast despite its role in the scandal.
An investigation in 2016 found Savile abused 72 people linked to his BBC work, including eight rapes – with one victim just 10 years old.
A former Operation Yewtree detective questioned the show’s purpose and told Sky News he wanted the BBC to drop plans to air the series, saying it was “disrespectful” to the actors. Savile’s victim.
While Ms. Edwards has supported the program, she is afraid Coogan – best known for comedian Alan Partridge – may struggle to portray Savile’s “sinister side” after branding showrunner Jim Will Fix It “the most disgusting human ever”. put on this earth”.
She told Sky News: “I hope (Coogan) portrays it well to make people realize what a monster that man is.
“(Coogan) can act as goofy as Jimmy Savile used to be, but on the sinister side, I think maybe he might struggle.
“Jimmy Savile was destroyed anyway… he will be remembered as a pedophile forever.
“I hope (Coogan) plays well… I hope he plays it so people really see how despicable Savile is.”
‘This dirty old man is touching me’
Describing her ordeal on Top Of The Pops, Ms Edwards said Savile’s hand was “like a solid rock” when he touched her and she couldn’t get away because she was surrounded by spectators.
“I just thought he was disgusting,” she said.
“His hand was like a solid rock. I couldn’t move.
“I’m so shocked and embarrassed that I can’t do anything about it.
“If he did that to me now, if he were alive, I would probably have hit him.
“But when you’re young… I was embarrassed because the camera was so close, and I was thinking: ‘God, everyone can see’.
“There’s so much going through your head at that point. And you just think, ‘This dirty old man is touching me and I can’t move.”
“There are people who just chock-a-block so I can’t get anywhere. I hate that.
“Even now, I still don’t like anyone getting too close to me behind.”
Ms Edwards, who attended Top Of The Pops with a friend, said she reported Savile’s assault to a crew member but “basically he told me to get lost”.
“He said, ‘Go away, it’s just Jimmy Savile,'” Mrs. Edwards added.
The 64-year-old mother-of-two from Twickenham, south-west London, said she was “excited in a way” that the film about Savile was made because she hoped it would encourage those who had not yet succumbed. Speak up. .
She added: “It won’t do (any) good, the man is dead and he’s going to rot in hell for all I care about.
“But I hope people come forward… It doesn’t matter if they’re a celebrity, whatever – go ahead and tell someone.
“Nobody is above the law. No one.”
Former detective urges BBC to remove TV series Savile
Former Operation Yewtree detective Gary Pankhurst has called on the BBC to cancel plans to broadcast The Reckoning after calling it “exploratory” and “damaging” to Savile’s victims.
The series will air on BBC One later this year, with October marking 10 years since the launch of Operation Yewtree, the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Savile and others.
Mr Yewtree, a former detective sergeant at the Metropolitan Police, told Sky News he was “extremely worried” about the show’s impact on survivors and questioned the purpose of setting up a drama. about Savile’s abuse.
“For me, it’s like being completely deaf,” he said.
“No matter how carefully a drama is made, it’s still a drama.
“In the end, there’s no need.
“This story is not a BBC story to tell. They have no right to do that.
“I think it’s disrespectful beyond anything else.”
Mr Pankhurst, who worked on Operation Yewtree from 2012 to 2015, said he had not been approached by the producers of The Reckoning but that he would turn down any participation in the show.
He added: “I can’t see it being anything other than exploratory and damaging to those affected by this.
“This is not something from the obscure and distant past. It is relatively recent.
“I don’t see how it could be anything other than sensationalism.”
Mr Pankhurst said he believed it would be a “reasonable decision” for the BBC to cut the film.
He added: “What positive contribution could it make to this story?
“The reality is it’s going to make a lot of people miserable so it’s not necessary.
“That made me very insecure.
“Ethically and ethically, the better position to perform is to simply withdraw.”
Why more of Savile’s victims could show up later this year
Richard Scorer, whose law firm represents 168 of Savile’s victims, has criticized the BBC’s involvement in the film and said he has spoken to survivors who have had “real difficulty” with it.
The head of abuse law at Slater & Gordon told Sky News: “If the Catholic Church made and aired a documentary about abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church, that would obviously put people off Survivors upset and they won’t feel it’s the proper way to solve the problem.
“I think there’s a similarity here.”
However, another lawyer representing dozens of Savile’s victims said he believes more could emerge later this year after The Reckoning airs.
Alan Collins, who led the sexual abuse team at attorney Hugh James, told Sky News he knew three of the victims who consulted about the film and had supported them.
He added: “Celebrity status can be abused, as we continue to see – with so many famous cases – so it is very important that we remind ourselves otherwise, The risk is not to learn the lesson.”
What did the BBC say?
A BBC spokesman told Sky News: “The film will examine the impact Savile’s horrific crime has had on his victims, the helplessness many feel when they try to raise the alarm, and how Savile uses her celebrity to hide from her eyes.
“We are working closely with the many people whose lives have been impacted by him to ensure their stories are told with sensitivity and respect.”
Coogan has previously said that his decision to play Savile was not one he “takes lightly” and that the script “sensitively addresses a terrible – albeit difficult – story that needs to be told.” again”.
He also insisted the BBC was “responsible” for the series and that “there is no whitewashing in this film”.
The screenplay, written by Neil McKay, whose other credits include the BBC drama Four Lives about serial killer Stephen Port, has received critical acclaim for his victim-focused performance.