What did Jimmy Savile do? Who was the focus of Netflix documentary, when did he die and where is he buried

Jimmy Savile’s recognition as a ‘Sir’ and a charity worker meant the repeated allegations of child abuse made against him were dismissed.

The Metropolitan Police finally launched a formal criminal investigation a year after his death - and 450 victims contacted the police within 10 weeks.

The scale of the allegations reported against Savile is the subject of the new Netflix documentary A British Horror Story.

Who was Jimmy Savile?

Netflix are releasing a docuseries about the scandalous life of DJ, television and radio star, Jimmy Savile.

The entertainer was known for his platinum-dyed hair, bright tracksuits, and large cigars.

However, it wasn’t publicly known until after his death that he had committed over 500 acts of sexual abuse.

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is available on Netflix from Wednesday (6 April 2022).

The documentary investigates how the popular TV personality got away with sexual and child abuse for over four decades - whilst staying in the spotlight.

It shows Savile being praised for his charity work by Prince Charles and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

You can watch the trailer here.

What did Jimmy Savile do?

Jimmy Savile sexually assaulted nearly 600 people, including young children, between 1955 and 2009.

Sporadic allegations of abuse were made throughout his life, dating back to 1963.

However, these didn’t come into the public eye until October 2012, when the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation.

In January 2013, just 14 months after his death, the Metropolitan Police stated that 450 people had made complaints against Savile - and the ages of the victims ranged from 8 to 47.

Nearly three-quarters of his alleged victims were under 18.

Thirty-four rapes were reported across 28 police forces.

Among the victims were 28 children under the age of 10, including 10 boys who were aged 8, and 63 girls aged between 13 and 16.

Within a month of the launch of the criminal investigation, a memorial plaque on his home in Scarborough and a wooden statue of Savile at Scotstoun Leisure Centre in Glasgow were removed.

Savile’s Hall, the conference centre at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, was renamed New Dock Hall.

Savile’s two charities, the Jimmy Savile Stoke Mandeville Hospital Trust and the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust, closed and distributed their funds among other charities

In March 2013, it was reported that 214 of the complaints against Savile after his death would have been criminal offences if they had been reported at the time.

In June 2014, investigations at 28 NHS hospitals, including Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, concluded that Savile had sexually assaulted over 60 staff and patients aged between 5 and 75.

One former nurse claimed that Savile had said that he engaged in sexual acts with corpses in the Leeds General Infirmary mortuary.

When did Jimmy Savile die?

Jimmy Savile died on 29 October 2011 - just two days before his 85th birthday.

He was found dead at his home in Roundhay, Leeds.

His death was not suspicious as he had been in hospital with pneumonia.

People lined the streets for the funeral at Leeds Cathedral - and his closed satin gold coffin was displayed at the Queens Hotel in Leeds, with the last cigar he smoked and his two This Is Your Life books.

Where is Jimmy Savile buried?

Jimmy Savile is buried in the Woodlands Cemetery in Scarborough - a North Yorkshire seaside town.

Savile had links to Scarborough from having a home there since the 1970s.

He was buried on 9 November 2011, and the inscription read: "it was good while it lasted".

Savile’s coffin was buried at a 45-degree angle as he asked to enjoy a view of the sea, despite being underground.

After Savile’s crimes came to light in 2012, his family removed his headstone "out of respect to public opinion".

The headstone was removed in the dead of night, overseen by funeral director Robert Morphet.

The £4,000 black granite headstone was then sent to landfill.