A Panorama documentary will tonight plunge the BBC into fresh controversy by claiming the corporation pulled an investigation into the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal after coming under pressure from senior managers.

Convicted child sex offender Gary Glitter raped a girl in Jimmy Savile’s dressing room in front of the television presenter, it has been claimed.

Anger over Jimmy Savile’s alleged sex abuse, as more women make claims they were victims over many years, has led to a memorial being attacked and fears of further reprisals.