BBC pledges to face up to truth as stars fear Savile witch-hunt

The former pop star was taken to a London police station yesterday in connection with Scotland Yard’s Jimmy Savile investigation, and later bailed until December.

It is thought Savile, who died last year aged 84, may have abused scores of young girls and several boys – some on BBC premises – over a 40 year period.

Comedian Jim Davidson has said he fears speculation around the identity of sex abusers at the BBC will lead to stars being falsely accused, and criticised what he termed a “celebrity witch-hunt”.

In a blog on his website the 58-year-old wrote: “The Jimmy Savile witch-hunt is going a bit silly now. We all are starting to speculate and accuse... even in jest.”

Lord Patten, chairman of the BBC, has said he is dedicated to finding out the truth about the scandal that has engulfed the corporation, vowing there would be “no covering our backs”.

Writing in yesterday’s Mail on Sunday Lord Patten said the BBC’s reputation is on the line and that it has risked squandering the public’s trust.

He said the BBC would not hide behind smokescreens, but “must tell the truth and face up to the truth about itself, however terrible”.

Lord Patten’s pledge came as the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, said the BBC needed to be far less secretive in the wake of the allegations relating to the late TV presenter.

Speaking of Savile’s apparent decades of criminality, Lord Patten wrote: “Can it really be the case that no one knew what he was doing?

“Did some turn a blind eye to criminality? Did some prefer not to follow up their suspicions because of this criminal’s popularity and place in the schedules?

“Were reports of criminality put aside or buried? Even those of us who were not there at the time are inheritors of the shame.”

He also apologised “unreservedly” to the abused women who spoke to the BBC’s Newsnight programme but did not have their stories told when the report was axed.

The BBC chairman said the two independent inquiries that have been set up – one into the Newsnight report, the other into the BBC’s culture and practices in the years Savile worked there – must get to the truth of what happened.

He added: “Now my immediate priority is to get to the bottom of the Savile scandal and to make any and every change necessary in the BBC to learn the lessons from our independent investigations.”

Savile’s closest relatives broke their silence over the weekend to say their “own despair and sadness does not compare to that felt by the victims” who were abused.

The family spoke out as it emerged the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales had written to Rome to ask if the Vatican could investigate whether the Papal honour awarded to Savile for his charitable works could be posthumously removed and its effects nullified.

Savile was made a Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II in 1990. He raised £42m for good causes.

It also emerged that the NSPCC had “never dealt with so many allegations against one individual”.

The comments came from Peter Watt, director of the children’s charity, who said calls about Savile were “still coming in thick and fast”.

Since the allegations emerged, the children’s charity has reportedly received 190 calls directly relating to him, which have been passed to police.

Scotland Yard is dealing with around 300 alleged victims and 400 lines of inquiry.