Jimmy Savile, the eccentric television star and Top of the Pops host who was knighted in 1990, was a sexual predator who abused girls as young 13, an investigative documentary to be broadcast next week will allege.
Up to 10 women are said to have come forward to claim that they were sexually assaulted by Savile during the 1970s, when they were underage teens, and that their lives were "destroyed and devastated" as a result. The abuse, ranging from rape to indecency, is alleged to have taken place in public places, including schools, hospitals and the BBC studios where the entertainer hosted family-oriented shows including Jim'll Fix It.
Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy will be screened on Wednesday on ITV, weeks before the first anniversary of the broadcaster's death at the age of 84.
In a statement issued on Friday, the BBC said it had conducted extensive searches of its files to establish whether there was any record or allegation of misconduct by Savile during his time at the BBC but no such evidence had been found.
"While the BBC condemns any behaviour of the type alleged in the strongest terms, in the absence of evidence of any kind found at the BBC that corroborates the allegations that have been made it is simply not possible for the corporation to take any further action," it said.
A former Surrey police officer and child protection expert, Mark Williams-Thomas, will present the programme, which will reportedly include interviews with at least two women who have waived their rights to anonymity.
In 2007, police received a complaint from a woman who said that she had been indecently assaulted by Savile in Surrey, where the star was a regular visitor to Duncroft school, Staines.
The allegation was investigated but no further action taken.
