BBC bosses deny hearing Savile ‘rumours’

Top BBC executives denied ever having heard about Jimmy Savile’s sex crimes despite Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman’s claim they were “common gossip”.

Both former director general Mark Thompson, and director of news Helen Boaden, told an internal BBC inquiry they had never heard any “rumours” about the DJ and presenter.

The details were included in thousands of pages of evidence gathered during an inquiry by former Sky executive Nick Pollard