In the later years of his life, Sir Jimmy Savile still drew the attention of young journalists and other wannabes. He seemed happy to give such people a leg up, or give them a little grandfatherly advice to help them on their way.
Of course, most of the world thought Savile was a bit odd, and he knew it. It was, after all, a carefully cultivated image. He'd been odd since the 50s; indeed, he was famous for being odd. So, well aware that people thought it odd that he'd preserved his mother
The Duchess's room since she died, up-and-coming young journalists were given the 'unique' pleasure of sleeping in her room – in The Duchess's bed – if they made the trek up to Scarborough to see him.
One young wannabe writer so honoured was Dan Davies. Since he was a child, Dan had been obsessed with Jimmy Savile, and now wanted to write a biography. Savile, generous to the last, spent many hours and days with the fella. He even took Dan on a short cruise, apparently.
When Sir Jim finally passed away, who better than Dan Davies to write
a touching tribute in the Daily Mail?
He was kind to me on that journey, and I saw his kindness to others. Our fellow passengers included a couple with a daughter who had Down’s syndrome. I saw him approach her and begin chatting. After a few of his jokes, she positively lit up.Dan said he and Sir Jim had become friends, but he'd never managed to finish the biography.
Then, the following year, the mood changed. The whole nation suddenly remembered that it had known all along that Savile was an evil – indeed, omnivorous – predator.
Dan Davies knew which side his bread was buttered. He quickly
wrote repurposed his 'unfinished' biography to produce a wonderful hatchet job, entitled
In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile, and filled his boots.
The book would win awards: the 2015 Gordon Burn Prize and the 2015 CWA Non-Fiction Dagger.
Non-Fiction ha ha...you couldn't make it up.
I suppose we should all be careful about who we let into our lives. Sir Jim said he didn't care what they wrote about him after he was gone, but I can't help feeling he wouldn't have wanted it like this. He wouldn't have wanted his name to be used to convict innocent teachers and scout masters and football coaches.
Oh, and a word of advice to wannabe award-winning biographers (and to those who bestow such awards): if you can't even get the full name of your subject right, your other 'facts' are really not to be trusted.
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile was born on 31 October 1926.