Leries on lavile looks at his links with Prince

THE DIRECTOR of a new documentary about Jimmy Savile has said it aims to examine the disgraced entertainer’s relationship with the British public and the establishment to explain how he was “hiding in plain sight” for so long.

The new two-part Netflix programme, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, delves into archive footage covering a 50-year period to consider how one of the biggest stars in television got away with his crimes as a prolific sex offender.

It also explores Savile’s relationship with the Prince of Wales, in particular the letters they exchanged over many years during which the presenter often provided advice on public and family matters.

The documentary’s director, Rowan Deacon, told Times Radio that some of the material they examined was Savile’s correspondence with Charles, which, she said, gave them an “understanding of the nature of the friendship that they had”, which she feels has not been fully understood before.

She said: “I suppose what was most interesting, and why we’ve included those in the film, which looks really broadly at many reasons why Jimmy Savile wasn’t apprehended before he died, is that the relationship was one where Prince Charles trusted and respected Jimmy Savile.

“And I think that’s really interesting because I think what we were trying to do is look honestly at our, the British public’s, relationship with Jimmy Savile, in order to try and explain how he got away with it.”

Savile died in 2011 aged 84, having never been brought to justice.