Jimmy Savile

Jimmy Savile (Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, 31 October 1926 to 29 October 2011) was an English disc jockey and television and radio presenter who is also recorded in this atlas because, around 1951, he worked as a semi-professional sportsman, entering the Tour of Britain cycle race and working as a professional wrestler. He first became known for playing records in dance halls and for presenting Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It on the BBC, and he raised large sums for hospitals and charities, which brought him an OBE in 1971 and a knighthood in 1990. After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were investigated, and police concluded he had been a predatory sex offender. The scandal led to inquiries at the BBC, the NHS and other bodies, and several of his honours were withdrawn after his death. This entry covers his brief sporting activity; the allegations are recorded as established by those investigations.