Latest news with #Savile
Business Insider
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Danny Boyle confirms Jack O'Connell's cult leader in '28 Years Later' was inspired by Jimmy Savile: a BBC star outed as a prolific sexual abuser
"28 Years Later" introduces Jack O'Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal, a strange cult leader. The character and his followers were inspired by the infamous British TV presenter, Jimmy Savile. Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland told BI the character explores themes of selective memory. Warning: Spoilers ahead for "28 Years Later." As if living in the zombie-ridden, post-apocalyptic Britain of " 28 Years Later" wasn't traumatic enough, a strange cult leader is also in the mix. And he looks a bit familiar. At the end of the film, its young protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) is taken in by a new group of survivors led by a man who calls himself Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell). Between his name and his style — Crystal and his followers wear vibrant purple tracksuits, heavy gold jewelry, and have long blond hair — there's a striking resemblance to the notorious British media personality and sex offender, Jimmy Savile. According to "28 Years Later" director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland, that's by design, and that reference hits on key themes of the film. Savile, who began working for the BBC in the 1960s, was outed as a sexual abuser after his death in 2011, when hundreds of allegations were made against him and multiple inquests were carried out into his crimes. It's unclear if in the world of the horror franchise, where the outbreak of the Rage Virus decimated the UK in 2002, Savile's crimes were ever revealed to the public or if he remained an icon celebrated for his eccentric television persona and fundraising efforts (he was given a knighthood for his charity work in 1990). Either way, O'Connell's character is meant to hit a nerve. "He's as much to do with pop culture as he is to do with sportswear, to do with cricket, to do with the honors system," Boyle told Business Insider of Savile. "It's all kind of twisting in this partial remembrance, clinging onto things and then recreating them as an image for followers." "He's a kaleidoscope, isn't he?" Garland added, referring to O'Connell's character. "A sort of trippy, fucked up kaleidoscope." O'Connell's role will lend itself to bigger themes around selective memory in the upcoming sequel, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," which is out January 16, 2026. Garland said that "The Bone Temple" — and ideally a third film in the "28 Years Later" trilogy, if Boyle gets it greenlit — focuses on how different groups try to construct a future based on what they do and don't remember about the past. "The thing about looking back is how selective memory is," Garland said. "It cherry picks and it has amnesia, and crucially, it also misremembers. We are living in a time right now which is absolutely dominated by a misremembered past." "28 Years Later" is in theaters now.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform UK: Stephen Hartley suspended after pro-Jimmy Savile tweets
A Reform UK candidate has been suspended from the party after posts on social media revealed his support for serial sex abuser Jimmy Savile. Stephen Hartley was listed as standing for Reform UK in the Banbury Hardwick ward, ahead of local elections to Oxfordshire County Council on May an interview with the BBC, Mr Hartley confirmed he posted in 2022 that Savile was a "working class hero" and said that he may have "forgotten" to disclose his X account to Reform UK. When sent the posts, Reform UK said that Mr Hartley had been suspended and that the party had "withdrawn all support for his candidacy". Jimmy Savile was one of Britain's biggest TV stars between the 1960s and 1990s and was known for raising millions of pounds for his death in 2011, he was revealed to be one of the UK's most prolific sexual to the BBC, Mr Hartley said he had doubts over whether the allegations made by victims against Savile were true. Hundreds of victims have said they were abused by Savile including on BBC premises, in hospitals, schools and children's homes. The NSPCC said Savile had been one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year Hartley will still appear on the ballot paper as a Reform UK candidate, as his suspension was announced after candidate lists were within an hour of being sent the posts by the BBC, Reform UK confirmed he no longer had the party's support.A Reform UK spokesman said: "Mr Hartley has been suspended as a member and is now not a Reform UK candidate. "We have subsequently withdrawn all support for his candidacy."The party's leader Nigel Farage said previously that candidates would be vetted ahead of the local elections. Mr Hartley said he thought it was "fair enough" that Reform UK had suspended him over the said: "I may have forgotten to tell them about my Twitter [X] account, which I use sporadically when I just want to vent."I understand Reform have got to be careful."A full list of candidates standing in the Banbury Hardwick ward can be viewed on the Oxfordshire County Council website. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
09-02-2025
- The Independent
Police investigate fire at Highlands cottage once owned by Jimmy Savile
A property in the Scottish Highlands which was once owned by Jimmy Savile has been damaged by a fire. An outbuilding at the Allt-na-Reigh cottage in Glen Coe caught fire on Saturday evening, leading to the closure of the A82. The site lay abandoned for years and has been vandalised repeatedly since Savile's death in 2011, and his exposure as a prolific sex offender. Fire crews extinguished the blaze and the road was reopened on Sunday. Highlands Council has previously given permission for the site to be demolished and replaced with a new home. The remote three-bedroom property was put on the market by trustees of the late DJ's estate for £100,000 in 2013. It was describes as 'a traditional refurbished detached cottage an attractive location within scenic Highland countryside' and highlights its proximity to Glencoe Ski Centre. It has been repeatedly vandalised since Savile's crimes were exposed. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: 'Emergency services attended and the fire was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. 'Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.' The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said they called out at 17:40, and three fire engines attended. Savile, uncovered as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, bought the whitewashed cottage named Allt Na Reigh in 1998. Opinion has been divided over the future of the cottage, the previous home of renowned Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes. Some have suggested it should be demolished while mountaineers think it should be transformed into a museum dedicated to their sport. Previous plans to turn the property into a respite care centre for disabled people were abandoned when the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust closed in the wake of the scandal surrounding the former Top Of The Pops and Jim'll Fix It host.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Disgraced BBC Presenter Jimmy Savile's Home Damaged By Fire
The Scottish home of notorious British TV and radio personality has been damaged by fire. BBC News reports that emergency services attended a blaze Saturday evening at the cottage in the picturesque area of Glen Coe, north of Glasgow in the west of Scotland. More from Deadline Steve Coogan Reveals He's Filming New Season Of 'The Trip' In Plea To Avoid Driving Ban BBC Documentary 'Lockerbie: Our Story' To Spotlight The Personal Stories Of Victims Of Britain's Deadliest Terror Attack Universal International Studios Boards BBC Thriller 'The Dream Lands' Police Scotland said: 'Emergency services attended and the fire was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. 'Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.' Savile, who died in 2011, owned the cottage for over a decade – it has been repeatedly vandalised since his crimes of rape, sexual assault and paedophilia came to light following his death. The disgraced presenter was one of the UK's most familiar public figures. Besides his long career in radio and TV, he raised millions for charity and befriended both members of the royal family and senior politicians. At one point in the 1980s, he served as a friendly liaison between the estranged Prince and Princess of Wales, and he spent one Christmas at the country home of then prime minister Margaret Thatcher. However, following his death an inquiry by the BBC – where he worked for decades – as well as several criminal investigations established that he had abused his high profile to prey on young women wherever he found them, and has become labelled as one of the biggest sex offenders in UK history. Fire fighters were able to control a blaze in one of the outbuildings of the property, whose new owners have been granted permission to transform the property into a completely different dwelling. Best of Deadline 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'The Apprentice' Oscar Nominees Sebastian Stan & Jeremy Strong On Why It's 'More Of A Horror Movie' With "Monstrous Egos"
Sky News
09-02-2025
- Sky News
Jimmy Savile's former mountainside property damaged by fire
A property formerly owned by paedophile Jimmy Savile has been damaged by fire, according to reports. The property in Glen Coe, Scotland, had been set to be demolished after failed redevelopment plans and years of vandalism. However, at around 5.30pm on Saturday emergency services were called after reports of a blaze at one of the outbuildings. The A82 was shut in both directions. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Emergency services attended and the fire was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances." What was the Jimmy Savile scandal? Veteran DJ and broadcaster Jimmy Savile died in October 2011 aged 84 after a suspected bout of pneumonia At the time, tributes poured in for the former Radio 1 host, famed for presenting BBC shows Jim'll Fix It and Top of the Pops and who was knighted by the Queen in 1990 Shortly after his death, a report by two Newsnight journalists investigating stories of abuse by Savile was cancelled for editorial reasons, according its then-editor, weeks before a Christmas tribute was broadcast An ITV documentary then aired in 2012 featuring five women who said they were indecently assaulted by Savile when they were schoolgirls in the late 1960s and 1970s The Met Police launched Operation Yewtree in October 2012 to investigate allegations of abuse by Savile and others, with hundreds of alleged victims coming forward An NSPCC study in 2014 found Savile abused at least 500 people, with the youngest victim just two years old A 2016 inquiry, by former High Court judge Dame Janet Smith, found at least 72 people were sexually abused by Savile in connection with his work at the BBC. They included eight victims who were raped - with the youngest victim just 10 years old The inquiry found the offending took place from 1959 to 2006, with the largest number of victims connected to Savile's work on Top of the Pops Savile is now believed to have been one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, having died without ever facing justice It was auctioned in 2013 and was described as "a traditional refurbished detached cottage in an attractive location within scenic Highland countryside". "The grounds also boast a large outbuilding with one bedroom chalet, log store and there are garden grounds with waterfalls and a large parking area to front," the description said. Its current owner has been granted planning permission to demolish the existing property and replace it with a new four-bedroom, one-and-a-half storey house. The redevelopment will also celebrate another of the cottage's former owners - Scottish climber Dr Hamish MacInnes. He invented ice axes and a stretcher used by mountain rescue teams all over the world. Former BBC television and radio presenter Savile, who died in 2011, is believed to be one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.
