Savile interview ‘polluted’ spirit of Joe Jackson

JOURNALIST and broadcaster Joe Jackson believes it was “remiss” of him not to report elements of an encounter he had with paedophile Jimmy Savile (below) almost 20 years ago.

He says it was only after reflecting on a Sunday Independent interview with the former Top of the Pops host that Jackson realised how Savile had been inappropriate towards children during their conversation.

Jackson has revisited the encounter as part of a new podcast series where he reflects upon old interviews.

In 2001, he met Savile for a 90-minute conversation at the Central Remedial Clinic. There had been some suspicion surrounding Savile before then but it was only after the emergence of hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse after his death in 2011 that UK police concluded he was a serial sex offender.

Jackson says it is clear now the signs were there. “Because it was 2001 and we didn’t know then what we obviously know now, I didn’t realise what I was seeing,” he added.

“My girlfriend at the time had fond memories of Savile and Jim’ll Fix It and wanted to come meet him. As soon as she walked away, she said ‘there’s something really creepy about that guy’. I said ‘I feel spiritually polluted’.”

However, with the benefit of hindsight, Jackson says he now hears the tape and parts of their interview differently.

“He wore a plunging neckline, 75 years old, and a Superman suit — which is going to appeal to children. They came over and when one of the kids said ‘nice jacket’, Savile pointed to his crotch and said ‘what about the trousers?’”

Jackson regrets not picking up on the context at the time. “The reason I am making the podcast is to address the fact that I missed it,” he said. “Louis Theroux and others who interviewed him, none of us got under his skin. We all failed.”

The podcast is one of a number available online featuring interviews with figures from the worlds of politics and entertainment. The podcasts are available on iTunes, or at or joejacksoninterviewer.com.