Savile: Portrait Of A Predator

ITV, 9pm

‘He was an abuser first and a celebrity second' is the verdict on Jimmy Savile (right) of Operation Yewtree detective Gary Pankhurst, whose insights make this searing documentary essential viewing.

Ten years after Savile's death, the way he was able to get away with his crimes remains deeply disturbing and almost unthinkable. Experts, eye witnesses and victims recount a prolific career of abuse, which began in northern nightclubs before he became a star at the BBC and went on to roam freely in NHS hospitals in his role as a charity campaigner. The sight of his Rolls-Royce prompted mothers in towns Savile frequented to warn their children: ‘If the Roller turns up, you come in straight away.'

The impression left is of a story that has hardly begun to be told, particularly given Savile's friendship with politicians and the Royal Family.