Louis Theroux says Jimmy Savile didn't seem 'malevolent' at the time
'I had a friendly relationship with him, I did like him a little bit,' says the filmmaker
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Louis Theroux has said that Jimmy Savile did not appear “malevolent” at the time and if he had appeared malicious he would have been caught far more quickly.
Appearing on Peston on Sunday on ITV, he said that he had a friendly relationship with the disgraced former DJ.
“In hindsight it’s hard not to see him as a malevolent figure now,” said Theroux.
“Which he was, but at the time he didn’t feel that way and if he had done, I think he would’ve been caught a lot sooner".
When asked whether he liked Savile, the 45-year-old filmmaker explained that it was difficult to cast his mind back to the period before the allegations of sexual abuse emerged.
“It’s hard to say, here and now knowing what we know about him, its very hard to acknowledge, even putting yourself back in that place in time is difficult,” Theroux said.
“I had a friendly relationship with him, I did like him a little bit”.
Theroux is currently making a second BBC documentary on Savile in the attempt to find out how he managed to conceal his crimes. Theroux previously focused on Savile in When Louis Met Jimmy and spent three months with the radio personality during its production. In the past, Theroux had said he felt a burden of responsibility for failing to expose Savile as a child abuser.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments