BBC missed chances to stop predator Jimmy Savile

In late 2012, former court of appeal judge Janet Smith started working on her review for the BBC about the extent of the abuse and how the broadcaster could avoid similar problems in the future.

The long-awaited report on what the BBC knew of sexual abuse committed by Jimmy Savile while he was employed by the corporation is due to be published later.

In her draft report, Smith said that fear of whistleblowing at the BBC was “even worse” than in Savile’s era.

Dame Smith said in the conclusion of her 372,400-word report, which took two-and-a-half years to complete, that the report made “sorry reading for the BBC”.

“They must be condemned for their monstrous behaviour”.

Smith said that numerous victims were very young, with the youngest being eight-years-old.

According to a statement Blackburn posted on Twitter, the BBC presented evidence to Dame Janet to the effect that, following the allegation, Blackburn had been interviewed about it by a senior BBC manager and a lawyer. But no complaints were made to the BBC’s Duty Office, the standard procedure for a complaint from outside the BBC.

Director-general of the BBC Tony Hall apologized on behalf of the corporation for the report’s findings, telling reporters that “what this bad episode tells us is that fame is power, a very strong form of power… and like all power, it must be held to account”.

Tony Hall, who is the director general of the BBC and no relations to the disgraced broadcaster, told the victims that the corporation had “failed” them.

They included two BBC managers who confronted Savile over claims he took teenagers home from Top of the Pops.

Tony Blackburn has claimed the BBC sacked him following a disagreement over his evidence to a sex abuse inquiry.

“I did find that a number of people at the BBC, junior people, did know about Savile”. Smith wrote that a culture of “separation, competition and hostility” between different parts of the BBC prevented concerns arising in one to be discussed with others.

“I am sure that all of us who have been through the 1,000 pages are probably overwhelmed by what we hear about the nature of the seriousness of what they have said and also the cultural response of the BBC”.

“I am saddened and appalled by the events recounted here and in a few moments I want to address how we will aim to ensure we never allow them to happen again”.

Concluding the trust’s statement, Fairhead said: “There are long-term and deep-seated issues to tackle, but today’s reports provide a clear impetus to do so urgently and openly”.

Dame Janet said there was a culture of not reporting complaints at the BBC and added: “I was told that an atmosphere of fear still exists today in the BBC”.

“Sadly what is happening to me now seems to be entirely in keeping with the past BBC culture of whitewash and cover up”.

Earlier, Dame Janet praised the honesty of the evidence Canon Semper gave her, and said the failure to stop Savile’s behaviour had clearly weighed heavily on his mind.