What happened to Jimmy Savile’s grave? When was disgraced BBC star’s £4000 Scarborough headstone taken down

Jimmy Savile was hailed as a national treasure immediately following his death in October 2011, though for more than a decade he has been known as one of Britain’s biggest monsters.

In late 2011 and early 2012 he was the subject of tributes and an outpouring of love from the public, but his was about to change completely.

The star who rose to fame on BBC shows Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It, and who is now the subject of controversial BBC drama The Reckoning, is believed to have abused more than 400 victims over a 50 year period, many of them children.

When the allegations against the star began to pour into police services across the country, Savile’s reputation was completely destroyed and any reminders of his life became a scar on public memory. 

His properties were torn down, converted, or left to decay, reruns of his TV appearances were pulled from schedules, and his huge headstone, intended as a monument to a great man, was removed out of ‘respect to public opinion’. 

What did Jimmy Savile’s grave look like?

When Jimmy Savile died he was remembered as a star BBC entertainer and charity campaigner. Before the widespread allegations about Savile’s decades of sexual abuse came to light, he was honoured as a national treasure.

He was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery with an elaborate headstone that reportedly cost £4,000 and featured the predator smiling and giving a double thumbs up.

The 6ft wide and 4ft high headstone also listed Savile’s achievements and remembered him as a ‘philanthropist, TV Presenter, DJ, Marathon runner, Cyclist, Wrestler, and Chieftan of Lochaber Highland Games.’

The headstone also bore the legend ‘it was good while it lasted’ across the base, which took on a much grimmer meaning when Savile’s abuse was revealed.

The massive granite monument was unveiled on 20 September 2012, 10 months after he died and less than a fortnight before a bombshell ITV documentary began to unmask the late entertainer as a serial predator and paedophile.

What happened to Jimmy Savile’s tombstone?

In the early hours of 10 October 2012, just 20 days after it had been unveiled, Savile’s headstone was removed by Scarborough borough council on the request of the family.

The cemetery was under police guard as workmen spent two hours digging out and removing the granite headstone.

The stone was then dismantled and ground up, removing the inscriptions, and dumped in a skip to be used as landfill.

However, Savile’s unmarked grave at Woodlands cemetery still exists. He was buried in a gold coffin filled with jewellery and cigars at a 45 degree angle so that he could have a view of the sea in death.

A campaign to have Savile’s grave exhumed and his remains cremated, but the plan fell through over the estimated £20,000 cost.