Louis Theroux: Savile

krish

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Louis is following up his 2000 doc When Louis Met ... Jimmy
Theroux's first film set out to ask questions about Savile's private life and allegations about paedophilia but the ex-DJ was careful to reveal as little as possible.

The second film will try to "understand the truth more fully" with interviews with people who Savile knew and introduced to Theroux between 1999 and 2004, and his "victims, friends and family".

It will also explore the impact of Savile's crimes and how his public image afforded him immunity.

Kim Shillinglaw, controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, said: "BBC Two should be part of the national conversation and this challenging subject matter is the kind I want to see on the channel.

"Louis Theroux is one of the country's most talented filmmakers, and I am very pleased that he is revisiting this important - and deeply personal - subject for us, asking difficult questions about the life of Jimmy Savile and those around him and exploring the impact his crimes had on his victims."
 
I'm surprised they remained friends. I didn't really pay this much attention the first time around, but I dug it up after the post-death accusations. He was unbelievably creepy throughout (hindsight is a wonderful thing, but surely anyone watching that at the time must've been suspicious? coupled with the fact that louis kept insisting there were many rumours flying about at the time).
I had the feeling he was frustrated and annoyed with louis and was pleased to see the episode concluded and him out of his life.
I am curious as to why the friendship continued to 2004 but savile didn't die for another 7 years (if i was to guess, it was because he lost patients at louis's predictably persistent attempt to uncover some truth)
 
There was a phrase that Jimmy Saville kept using, which escapes me now, but it was a clear diversion / diffusion tactic almost tipping toward an admission of wrong doing, it used to bug me that it wasn't explored further..
 
This 75-minute doc airs on BBC2 at 9pm on Sunday (2nd Oct) ...
(Original doc posted at bottom, from original producer and director Will Yapp's Vimeo channel)
In light of the unmasking of Jimmy Savile as a predatory sex offender, and 15 years on from the BBC documentary When Louis Met Jimmy, Louis Theroux sets out to understand how a man who was at the centre of British entertainment and charitable fundraising for decades was able to get away with a long litany of crimes.

In this reflective 75-minute film, Louis talks to some of Savile's victims and to people who worked closely with him, and re-examines moments from the original film as well as footage that has never aired before on television.
 
Watched it. Ugh... horrible grubby and terribly sad viewing.
 
Yeah it was tragic viewing.
 
Possibly one of the most revealing and depressing insights into the workings and long-term damage wrought by a genuine psychopath. Some of the women in this, particularly the ones he didn't physically abuse but certainly manipulated to the extent that they'd argue north is south, etc despite firm evidence to the contrary have been damaged so severely by his predations that they are literally beyond help at this point. And he did that without seemingly laying a single finger on them.

I'm glad Louis kept in the final interview as it shows a woman having a bit of a go at him for not seeing what she thinks should have been obvious to anyone who spent time in his company, which Louis admits to in this documentary, i.e. hanging out with him socially. I must admit that I find it a little strange that Louis felt the need to hang out with Savile, and although he offers up a few reasons for doing so I think there may have been other reasons that perhaps Louis hasn't fully accepted or given much thought to yet. The same woman puts to him that he too was being groomed and he seems uncomfortable with that thought, challenging it even. But there was definitely something weird about Savile's interest in Louis. Psychopaths don't say things like 'your career is safe in my hands... it's glittering my son' because they genuinely won't to advance YOUR ambitions! Well, unless doing so coincides or aligns with their machinations.

Perhaps he enjoyed the challenge of pulling the wool, manipulating, mesmerising, etc the guy with the reputation for getting people's guards down and having them reveal their hidden desires, fears, etc to the camera all for our entertainment!

I found the scene in which he shows off to Louis in the pizza place to be one of the most fascinating clips I've ever seen of Savile. First, he seems a bit paranoid/cautious after getting out the taxi (looking over his shoulder), then he sits at the back against the wall and in front of an almost inaccessible structure. Over time you'd expect someone who's job revolves around astute observation of the human condition to clock these things, i.e. Louis, open your eyes!

The scene where he strips down in front of the staff at the BBC was a direct provocation and so brazenly obvious to anybody with half a clue about psychopathy or manipulative behaviour in general.

I felt sympathy for the retired hospital administrator who kept Savile memorabilia, like the frightening Lego bust! WTH was that all about! What was going on with his nose! Anyway, she just couldn't face up to the truth because to do so would apparently threaten to destroy her memories of her 30/40 year career in the NHS. A terrible but revealing example of how destructive psychopaths are.

I just wish Louis had examined Savile's connections and affiliations with power. There's no way people surrounded by advisers and equerries whose job it is to weed out undesirables and miscreants wouldn't know or see Savile for what he was. There's something else going on there - and it's not Savile pulling the wool over everybody's eyes!

Anyway, good documentary and one that sent shivers up my spine.

Perhaps the dangers posed by psychopathy and other mental deficiencies that cause the afflicted to seek out power over others in order to facilitate abuse and harm should be taught to teenagers in schools and other higher education environments?
 
Was it a kind of Stockholm syndrome with his fired PA? She had absolutely no reason to defend him. Seemed like he groomed people for a variety of roles in his life, including LT. She was without family or partner/husband during most of her employ, possibly lonely and vulnerable - ideal dogsbody fodder for her 'master'.
 
Started to watch it but as soon as he drummed up the compulsive liar Karin Ward then realised it was nothing more than a career arse saving exercise.
 
Grim viewing yeah, I knew what Louis was originally angling for was the big reveals or slip once he made Saville comfortable with him but Jim was too clever for that by telling him he didn't have friends.

JS was a creep, I sincerely hope that the times we live in today don't allow for more like him in showbiz or anywhere else for that matter.
 

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