BBC Savile crisis deepens with new allegations
More allegations emerge as a senior Newsnight producer says he warned his editor the BBC could be accused of a cover up if it ditched an investigation into Jimmy Savile.
In a Panorama programme due to be broadcast on Monday night, Meirion Jones, a Newsnight producer behind the investigation into abuse allegations involving former DJ Jimmy Savile, said he had warned his editor that the BBC was at risk of being accused of a cover-up if it did not run the story.
Meanwhile, the BBC has denied that Newsnight Editor Peter Rippon has resigned over the debacle.
Allegations that flamboyant BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, who died last year, operated unhindered as a paedophile for years while working for the BBC have rocked the broadcaster.
Its new director-general, George Entwistle, is now under pressure to explain why the BBC dropped an investigation by its Newsnight programme into Savile last year.
Mark Thompson, now the New York Times Company’s chief executive, was in charge of the BBC at the time.
Read more: Did winks and whispers fix it for Sir Jimmy? asks Paraic O’Brien
“I was sure the story would come out one way or another and… the BBC would be accused of a cover-up,” Mr Jones was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Cigar-chomping Savile was one of the BBC’s biggest names and most recognised television personalities, and questions have been raised about whether the broadcaster turned a blind eye to his activities.
Police investigating alleged abuse by Savile opened a criminal inquiry last week, saying more than 200 potential victims had come forward since an investigation by ITV claimed he had preyed on children for decades.