Jimmy Savile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jimmy Savile
OBE KCSG
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Savile in 2006
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| Born |
James Wilson Vincent Savile
31 October 1926 |
| Died | 29 October 2011 (aged 84) Roundhay, Leeds, England
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| Resting place | Woodlands Cemetery, Scarborough |
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Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (born October 31, 1926 – died October 29, 2011) was a famous English DJ and TV and radio star. He hosted popular BBC shows like Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It. During his life, he was well-known in the United Kingdom for his unique style and his amazing charity work.
As a teenager during World War II, Savile worked in coal mines. He later started his career playing records in dance halls. He also became a professional wrestler. His media journey began as a DJ at Radio Luxembourg in 1958. He then moved to Tyne Tees Television in 1960. He became known for his exciting and unusual personality.
A big part of his career involved working with kids and young people. This included visiting schools and hospital wards. At the BBC, he presented the very first Top of the Pops show in 1964. He also broadcast on Radio 1 starting in 1968. From 1975 to 1994, he hosted Jim'll Fix It. This Saturday evening TV show made wishes come true for viewers, especially children.
During his lifetime, he was famous for raising money and helping charities and hospitals. He especially supported Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, and Broadmoor Hospital. In 2009, The Guardian newspaper called him a "huge giver to charity." He was honored for his charity efforts. He received the OBE award in 1971. He was also made a knight in 1990. In 2006, he introduced the very last regular episode of Top of the Pops. Savile passed away in 2011. People praised him in his obituaries for his good qualities and for raising about £40 million for charities.
Early Life and Beginnings
Savile was born in the Burley area of Leeds, England. He was the youngest of seven children in a Roman Catholic family. His father, Vincent Joseph Marie Savile, worked as a bookmaker's clerk. His mother was Agnes Monica Kelly.
Savile grew up during the Great Depression. He often said he was shaped by needing things. He described his father as very honest but also very poor.
When Savile was two, he got very sick, possibly with pneumonia. His mother prayed for him, and he recovered quickly. She believed this was thanks to a Scottish nun named Margaret Sinclair. Savile went to St Anne's Roman Catholic School in Leeds. He left school at 14 and worked in an office.
Working in Coal Mines
At 18, during World War II, he was chosen to be a Bevin Boy. This meant he had to work in coal mines. He said he hurt his spine in a mining explosion. He spent a long time getting better. For three years, he had to wear a steel corset and use walking sticks. After working in the mine, Savile became a scrap metal dealer.
First DJ and Sports Career
Savile started playing records in dance halls in the early 1940s. He claimed he was the first DJ. He said he was the first to use two record players and a microphone in 1947. However, using two turntables was shown in the BBC Handbook in 1929. They were also advertised for sale in Gramophone magazine in 1931.
He also became a semi-professional athlete. He raced bikes in the 1951 Tour of Britain. He also worked as a professional wrestler. He once said he had done over 300 bike races, 212 marathons, and 107 professional fights. He was proud that he lost his first 35 fights. He said, "No wrestler wanted to go back home and say a long-haired disc jockey had put him down. So from start to finish I got a good hiding. I've broken every bone in my body. I loved it."
Savile lived in Salford from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. He managed the Plaza Ballroom in Manchester. He also managed the Mecca Locarno ballroom in Leeds. His Monday evening dance sessions were very popular with teenagers. A music executive from Decca Records discovered him while he was working in Ilford.
Media Career Highlights
Radio Shows
Savile's radio career began at Radio Luxembourg. He worked there from 1958 to 1968. By 1968, he hosted six shows a week. His Saturday show reached six million listeners. He was one of Britain's top DJs by the early 1960s.
In 1968, he joined Radio 1. He hosted Savile's Travels, a weekly show where he talked to people across the UK. From 1969 to 1973, he hosted Speakeasy, a discussion show for teenagers. On Radio 1, he also presented Jimmy Savile's Old Record Club. This show played old songs from the charts. It was the first show to feature old charts. He used a "points system" for a fun quiz with the audience. This show started in 1973 and ended in 1987. He also hosted The Vintage Chart Show on the BBC World Service.
From 1989 to 1997, he broadcast on various stations around the UK. These often played "Gold" (oldies) music. He brought back his Radio 1 shows on these stations.
Television Appearances
Savile's first TV job was presenting Young at Heart on Tyne Tees Television in 1960. He even dyed his hair a different color each week!
On New Year's Day 1964, he hosted the first episode of Top of the Pops. This was a BBC show that played the most popular songs. He co-hosted the final weekly episode on July 30, 2006. He ended the show by saying, "It's number one, it's still Top of the Pops." Then he turned off the studio lights.
In the early 1960s, Savile also co-hosted concerts for the New Musical Express magazine. These concerts featured famous bands like the Beatles and Cliff Richard. On December 31, 1969, he hosted Pop Go the Sixties. This show celebrated the hit songs of the 1960s.
Savile presented public safety videos about road safety. One famous one was "Clunk Click Every Trip". This video encouraged people to wear seatbelts. The "clunk" was the sound of the car door, and the "click" was the seatbelt fastening. This led to his Saturday-night TV show Clunk, Click on BBC1.
Jim'll Fix It
Clunk, Click was replaced by Jim'll Fix It. Savile hosted this show from 1975 to 1994. The show made wishes come true for viewers, especially children. In 1977, he won an award for his "wholesome family entertainment."
In the early 1980s, he was in commercials for British Rail's fast trains. He famously said, "This is the age of the train." Savile was featured twice on the TV show This Is Your Life.
In 2000, he was the subject of a documentary by Louis Theroux. In 2006, Savile visited the Celebrity Big Brother house. He "fixed it" for some housemates to get their wishes. In 2007, he returned to TV with Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again. This show revisited popular "fix-its" and made new dreams come true.
Charity Work and Support
Savile is thought to have raised £40 million for charity. He raised a lot of money for Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He also volunteered there for many years as a porter. He raised money for the Spinal Unit and a ward for children with spinal cord injuries. Savile also volunteered at Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital.
In 1988, he was asked to help manage Broadmoor Hospital. This happened after its board members were suspended. Savile had his own rooms at both Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor.
From 1974 to 1988, Savile was the honorary president of Phab. This group helps physically handicapped people. He also helped medical students at Leeds University with their research. He gave over £60,000 every year. After he died, money was left in his will to keep supporting this program.
Savile often took part in marathons to raise money. He also cycled from Land's End to John o' Groats in 10 days. This was to help the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He also ran in the Scottish People's Marathon. It was reported that he finished the London Marathon at age 79.
Savile started two charities. The Jimmy Savile Stoke Mandeville Hospital Trust began in 1981. The Leeds-based Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust started in 1984. He also raised money for several Jewish charities.
Public Image and Connections
During his life, Savile was seen as a unique and well-known person in Britain. He loved being in the public eye. He was very good at promoting his own image. He had a "bizarre yodel" and many catchphrases. These included "How's about that, then?", "Now then, now then", and "Goodness gracious".
Savile was often made fun of for his clothes. He usually wore a tracksuit or shellsuit and gold jewelry. Costumes based on his look were even sold with his permission in 2009. Savile was often seen holding a cigar. He claimed he started smoking cigars at age seven.
Savile was a member of Mensa, a group for people with high IQs. He also belonged to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. He drove a Rolls-Royce. In 1975, he became the first "outsider" to be made a life member of the British Gypsy Council. In 1984, he joined the Athenaeum, a famous club in London.
He was the chieftain of the Lochaber Highland Games for many years. He owned a house in Glen Coe.
Friendships with Important People
Through his charity work, Savile became friends with Margaret Thatcher, who was the Prime Minister. In 1981, she called his work "marvellous." It was said that Savile spent 11 New Year's Eves at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country home, with Thatcher and her family. Letters released in 2012 confirmed a "close friendship" between Savile and Thatcher.
Savile also met Prince Charles because of their shared interest in charity. Prince Charles sometimes asked Savile for advice on dealing with Britain's health services. In 1999, Charles visited Savile's home for a private meal. He reportedly sent Savile gifts on his 80th birthday. He also sent a note saying, "Nobody will ever know what you have done for this country, Jimmy. This is to go some way in thanking you for that."
Savile was also in touch with other members of the royal family. He received messages from Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He also got a handwritten letter from Princess Alexandra's husband and a homemade card from Sarah, Duchess of York. Savile acted as an unofficial helper to Prince Charles. He gave him advice on how the royal family should interact with the public and media. In 1989, Savile wrote unofficial guidelines for Charles on how the royal family should respond to disasters.
Savile never married. He lived with his mother, whom he called the "Duchess." He kept her bedroom and wardrobe exactly as they were after she died. Every year, he had her clothes dry cleaned.
Later Life and Passing
On August 9, 1997, Savile had a three-hour heart-bypass operation. He had known he needed the surgery for at least four years. He arranged for a bench in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, to be dedicated to his memory. It had a plaque saying "Jimmy Savile – but not just yet!"
On October 29, 2011, Savile was found dead at his penthouse flat in Leeds. This was two days before his 85th birthday. He had been in the hospital with pneumonia. His death was not considered suspicious.
His closed gold coffin was displayed at the Queens Hotel in Leeds. Inside were the last cigar he smoked and his two This Is Your Life books. About 4,000 people came to pay their respects. His funeral was held at Leeds Cathedral on November 9, 2011. He was buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Scarborough. As he wished, his coffin was placed at a 45-degree angle so he could "see the sea." The coffin was covered in concrete for security.
An auction of Savile's belongings took place on July 30, 2012. The money raised went to charity. His silver Rolls-Royce Corniche car sold for £130,000. The car's license plate, JS 247, referred to the original radio frequency of BBC Radio 1.
Awards and Recognitions
- In 1972, Savile was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
- In 1990, Savile was made a Knight Bachelor "for charitable services." This allowed him to use the title Sir. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had tried four times to get him knighted before succeeding in her last year in office.
- Savile received a Papal knighthood in 1990. He was made a Knight Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great (KCSG) by Pope John Paul II.
- Savile was an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists.
- Savile received the Cross of Merit from the Order pro merito Melitensi.
Honors Removed After Death
Many honors are considered to end when the person dies. Some of Savile's honors were no longer valid and did not need to be officially taken away. However, in other cases, honors were officially removed:
- Savile received an honorary doctorate of law (LLD) from the University of Leeds in 1986. This was taken away in 2012.
- Savile received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bedfordshire in 2009. This was removed after his death in October 2012.
- Savile was made a Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough in 2005. This honor was removed in November 2012.
Filmography
- Top of the Pops (1964–1984, 1988, 2001, 2003, 2006)
- Clunk, Click (1973–1974)
- Jim'll Fix It (1975–1994)
- A Fix with Sontarans (1985)
- When Louis Met Jimmy (2000)
- Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again (2007)
Books and Recordings
- Books
- Savile, Jimmy. As it Happens, 1974 (autobiography)
- Savile, Jimmy. Love is an Uphill Thing, 1976 (paperback edition of As it Happens)
- Savile, Jimmy. God'll Fix It, 1979
- Recordings
- 1962, "Ahab the Arab" with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Decca, F11493 (single)
