Jimmy Savile's mum: who was Agnes Savile, how many children did she have - did BBC predator have other family?

The Reckoning is an upcoming drama series about the life of disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile.

Savile’s half century of sex abuse only came to public light following his death - though there had been some allegations and police involvement whilst Savile was still alive.

The four part BBC series starring Steve Coogan as Savile will follow Savile from his early days as an entertainer through to his death and the scandal that broke when the scope of his crimes was revealed.

Also featured in the series is Savile’s mother Agnes, whom Jimmy lived with for much of his adult life.

Though Jimmy was the last of his immediate family when he died, he had a large family tree, and some of his deceased relatives became embroiled in the sex abuse scandal after his death.

Who was Agnes Savile?

Agnes Savile was born in 1886 in Burnley in Lancashire, and gave birth to her son Jimmy in 1926. He was the youngest child of Agnes and her husband.

Jimmy had an unusual relationship with her mother - during his life he kept his personal relationships very private and claimed that he always slept alone. However, he had an odd respect for his mother, whom he called the Duchess.

He lived with Agnes until her death and maintained the house where they had lived together until his own death. In the Louis Theroux documentary, which aired in 2000, almost three decades after her death, Jimmy showed Louis her closet of clothes, which he had kept in sealed plastic covers.

He had her clothes dry cleaned every year and kept her other possessions as well. Agnes died in October 1972 in Scarborough, aged 85.

In The Reckoning, Agnes is played by Bridget Jones’s Diary actress Gemma Jones, appearing in the first two episodes of the series.

Who was Jimmy Savile’s dad?

Jimmy Savile’s father, Vincent Joseph Marie Savile, was a bookmaker’s clerk and insurance agent. Vincent married Agnes in 1911, and the couple had seven children together. Vincent died in 1953, aged 67.

Did Jimmy Savile have brothers and sisters?

Jimmy was the youngest of seven - he had four sisters Marjory, Christina, Joan, and Mary and two brothers, Johnnie and Vincent.

One of his brothers, Johnnie, who died in 1998, has been the subject of seven allegations of sexual assaults at Springfield Hospital in London said to have taken place between 1978 and 1980. Johnnie was sacked from the hospital where he worked but did not face legal action as the allegations were not reported to the police.

Jimmy’s other brother Vincent was also subject to allegations of abuse following Jimmy’s death. He was a Royal Navy veteran who left the armed forces to volunteer at the children’s ward at  Cardiff Infirmary and founded a community radio station there. He was reportedly seen with young girls on several occasions and had a group. He died of cancer in 2006, aged 90.

Jimmy’s sister Marjory, who predeceased him, reportedly knew of some of his abuse but kept quiet to maintain the family’s fame. Marjory’s granddaughter, Caroline Robinson, claimed in 2014 that she had been assaulted by Jimmy on two occasions, and that her grandmother had been aware of the disgusting crime.

Christina died in 1997, aged 75 - the date of Joan and Mary’s deaths are unknown, but they both died before Jimmy.

Did Jimmy Savile have children?

Jimmy Savile never married and did not have any children. However, at least one woman has come forward following his death, expressing concern that she may be Savile’s child as her mother was one of his victims.