Children In Need guarded against Savile

Jimmy Savile was barred from any involvement with the Children In Need charity, a former BBC governor has revealed.

Despite the presenter’s fundraising efforts, which resulted in millions going to good causes, Roger Jones — a former chairman of Children In Need — said he had been uncomfortable about allowing Savile to have any association with the charity. Although he had “no evidence” Savile was up to anything, said the Jim’ll Fix It star’s behaviour was strange. In an interview with the BBC, he said: “I think we all recognised he was a pretty creepy sort of character. When I was with Children In Need, we took the decision we didn’t want him anywhere near the charity and we just stepped up our child protection policies, which again would have put him at great risk if he tried anything.

“I found his behaviour very strange. I couldn’t tell if he was a paedophile. But I didn’t have to.”

Jones said he did not remember suspicions about Savile being discussed at any meeting of the BBC governors.

He pointed out that Children In Need bosses were very conscious of protecting the charity from paedophiles. “They were just like flies around the honeypot. Not just in the fundraising but also in the distribution of funds.

“I mean, if we had given money to a paedophile group, the sky would have fallen on the BBC.”