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Jimmy Savile abuse report highlights 'serious failings' at the BBC - live updates
Jimmy Savile abuse report highlights 'serious failings' at the BBC - live updates
(35 minutes later)
11.24am GMT
11:24
Full text of Hall's response
The BBC has also published the full text of Hall’s response.
Addressing the survivors of the abuse by Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall he said:
A serial rapist and a predatory sexual abuser both hid in plain sight at the BBC for decades. It was a dark chapter in the history of the organisation, but a much darker one for all of you. The BBC failed you when it should have protected you. I am deeply sorry for the hurt caused to each and every one of you.
I also know that it cannot have been easy for you to come forward and confront the past like this. Many of you have done so for the first time. I admire your courage and am grateful for your honesty. Your voice has finally been heard but I also recognise it has been heard far, far too late.
So today we say sorry. We let you down and we know it.
Hall’s statement ends:
I would like to say this to the survivors of Savile and Hall.
You have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward and telling us all what you went through. We are determined to honour your courage.
We will learn the lessons from these terrible times. We will confront the issues head on. We will continue to address them in an open and honest way. And we will be there for you.
So over time the BBC can be a stronger and better organisation. And we can help bring some closure to this dark chapter.
That is the very least we owe to you.
Updated
at 11.32am GMT
11.21am GMT
11:21
Rona Fairhead, chair of the BBC trust, is now reading through her statement.
11.16am GMT
11:16
The NSPCC will be involved in the BBC’s review of safeguarding procedures against child abuse, Hall says.
An independent audit is to be made of all BBC policies, rules and procedures, Hall says.
"We have changed, we are changing but we need to do more," Hall says.
Updated
at 11.17am GMT
11.14am GMT
11:14
BBC accepts report 'in full'
Hall said the BBC accepts Smith’s report in full.
He pledged to continue to do more put in safeguards against abuse at the BBC. “Our duty is to be better,” Hall said.
Hall promises to review complaints and whistleblowing at the BBC. “We cannot be complacent”, Hall says after trotting through improvements in whistleblowing procedures.
11.10am GMT
11:10
The BBC could have known about Savile’s abuse, Hall concedes.
It was an organisation that was too hierarchical. “This has been one of the most important inquiries in the BBC’s history,” Hall said.
We made Savile a VIP and what this terrible ep teaches us is that fame is power and must be held to a/c says Hall
Account of survivor who was told "keep your mouth shut, he's a VIP" particularly affected Hall. "It was we the BBC who did that."
11.06am GMT
11:06
Tony Hall: 'deeply sorry'
The BBC’s director general Tony Hall says it is a “very sobering day”.
In his response to the report he said what happened at the BBC was “profoundly wrong”. Addressing the victims he said was “deeply sorry for the hurt caused to each and everyone of you.” Hall described abuse at the BBC as “dark chapter” in the BBC’s history.
He also thanked the victims for coming forward, and promised that lessoned would be learned.
Lord Hall now addressing reporters "it is a sobering day for the BBC". pic.twitter.com/3OLx4m2aog
Tony Hall says report "sobering" for BBC. Tells survivors events were "profoudnly wrong, shd never have started and shd have been stopped"
Updated
at 11.08am GMT
11.01am GMT
11:01
Smith said the BBC handled a complaint against Tony Blackburn “very badly”.
Smith quizzed about a DJ in report called A7, now known to be Tony Blackburn. She said complaint against him was handled "very badly" by BBC
Blackburn was accused in 1971 of seducing a teenage girl who went on to kill herself. He strongly denied then and now.
10.50am GMT
10.50am GMT
10:50
10:50
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the children’s charity the NSPCC, urged the BBC to review its whistleblowing procedures.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the children’s charity the NSPCC, urged the BBC to review its whistleblowing procedures.
In a statement he said:
In a statement he said:
“This report demonstrates just how disturbingly easy at the time it was for Savile to get away, unchallenged, with despicable acts against children at the BBC. The impact on his victims has been profound - as we have already witnessed from calls to our helpline.
“This report demonstrates just how disturbingly easy at the time it was for Savile to get away, unchallenged, with despicable acts against children at the BBC. The impact on his victims has been profound - as we have already witnessed from calls to our helpline.
“It is tragic that a culture existed at the BBC in which Savile became too powerful to confront, so allowing him to use his celebrity status to abuse at will, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
“It is tragic that a culture existed at the BBC in which Savile became too powerful to confront, so allowing him to use his celebrity status to abuse at will, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
“The BBC must ensure staff can easily raise concerns and that robust safeguarding procedures are in place to effectively act on these so that a scandal of this kind, never mind this magnitude, is never repeated.”
“The BBC must ensure staff can easily raise concerns and that robust safeguarding procedures are in place to effectively act on these so that a scandal of this kind, never mind this magnitude, is never repeated.”
10.45am GMT
10.45am GMT
10:45
10:45
Smith denies she was put under any pressure to alter the wording of her report from the earlier draft version. She said the wording was changed because she found better ways of making her points.
Smith denies she was put under any pressure to alter the wording of her report from the earlier draft version. She said the wording was changed because she found better ways of making her points.
10.38am GMT
10.38am GMT
10:38
10:38
Smith denies 'whitewash'
Smith denies 'whitewash'
“It certainly isn’t a whitewash”, Smith says in response to the first question about her report.
“It certainly isn’t a whitewash”, Smith says in response to the first question about her report.
She said that as a judge she needed evidence not rumours. She said she couldn’t draw the inference from rumours that management knew about abuse by Savile and Stuart Hall.
She said that as a judge she needed evidence not rumours. She said she couldn’t draw the inference from rumours that management knew about abuse by Savile and Stuart Hall.
Updated
Updated
at 10.40am GMT
at 10.40am GMT
10.34am GMT
10.34am GMT
10:34
10:34
Smith also condemned the leak of a draft version of report by Exaro news.
Smith also condemned the leak of a draft version of report by Exaro news.
Exaro leak of draft report upset many Savile and Hall victims and was not in the public interest, Smith says.
Exaro leak of draft report upset many Savile and Hall victims and was not in the public interest, Smith says.
10.33am GMT
10.33am GMT
10:33
10:33
The report makes “sorry reading” for the BBC, Smith said. She said she had a meeting with BBC director general Tony Hall about her findings and was “satisfied” that Hall accepted her recommendations.
The report makes “sorry reading” for the BBC, Smith said. She said she had a meeting with BBC director general Tony Hall about her findings and was “satisfied” that Hall accepted her recommendations.
10.28am GMT
10.28am GMT
10:28
10:28
Smith criticised Savile’s producer Ted Beston, Canon Colin Semper, a producer of Speakeasy, and Douglas Muggeridge, the controller of Radio 1 and Radio 2.
Smith criticised Savile’s producer Ted Beston, Canon Colin Semper, a producer of Speakeasy, and Douglas Muggeridge, the controller of Radio 1 and Radio 2.
There were three individuals who could have done something about Savile - Ted Beston, Canon Colin Semper and Douglas Muggeridge.
There were three individuals who could have done something about Savile - Ted Beston, Canon Colin Semper and Douglas Muggeridge.
Updated
Updated
at 10.30am GMT
at 10.30am GMT
10.25am GMT
10:25
The BBC thoroughly investigated allegations about corruption on Top of the Pops, but it did not investigate allegations of sexual abuse on the programme. Complaints about abuse on Top of the Pops were not recorded, but “brushed aside”, she said.
10.23am GMT
10:23
“There was a culture of not complaining” at the BBC, Smith said. There was “deeply deferential” managerial structure at the corporation. Rivalry between departments and a “macho culture” compounded problems, she said.
A lack of women in senior positions and culture of ignoring sexual abuse helped perpetuate crimes with victims ignored #DameJanetSmith
Talent was treated with kid gloves, Smith said. Child protection was very low on the radar. Sexual harassment was not taken seriously by society at the time, she conceded.
Updated
at 10.29am GMT
10.20am GMT
10:20
Dame Janet Smith is presenting her report at a press conference. She said she found five occasions where the BBC missed signs of Savile’s abuse.
10.17am GMT
10:17
BBC Trust 'saddened and appalled'
Rona Fairhead, chair of BBC Trust, said she is “saddened and appalled” by the report.
In a statement she said:
I am saddened and appalled by the events recounted here and in a few moments I want to address how we will aim to ensure we never allow them to happen again.
But our primary thoughts must be with the victims – the survivors of the abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall. Today’s reports lay bare the full horror of what happened to them. Those experiences can never be erased.
No one reading the reports can be in any doubt that the BBC failed them. It failed, not just them, but the public, its audiences and its staff.
It turned a blind eye, where it should have shone a light. And it did not protect those who put their trust in it.
On behalf of the BBC and its staff past and present, I want to apologise to the survivors for all they have suffered. I also want to commit to them directly, that we will ensure the BBC does everything it possibly can to prevent any such events in the future ...
The survivors and the public have a right to understand not just what happened, but how it was allowed to happen. Who knew what and why processes failed. And to have the confidence that the BBC is taking all appropriate action.
We need to restore the public’s trust in the BBC. We need to demonstrate – through our actions – that the BBC’s values are for everyone and non-negotiable.
For, as Dame Janet makes clear, these events happened in the past but they raise serious issues that remain relevant and need to be addressed today.
We fully support Dame Janet’s recommendation that the BBC Executive immediately reviews its policies and procedures on child protection, complaints, whistleblowing, and investigations – and that all of those should also be independently audited and published. It is important that this work also takes account of the variety of working relationships people have with the BBC, from freelancers and occasional contractors through to full time members of staff.
The plans that Tony Hall has put forward today represent a thorough response to this recommendation. The Trust will work alongside the Executive to ensure that the BBC takes all further steps that it needs to as quickly as it possibly can.
Dame Janet also makes challenging observations about the BBC’s culture. It is clear that the public expect the BBC to keep to the highest possible standards, but the BBC failed. And Dame Janet finds the status given to celebrities, the BBC’s hierarchical structure and the lack of cohesion between its different departments present unique challenges which must be overcome if serious wrongdoing is to be exposed.
The cultural change that must take place has to be both substantial and permanent. The BBC must engage fully with its staff, listen to its critics and submit policies and culture to external scrutiny.
I have discussed this with Tony Hall at length and have no doubt that he is absolutely committed to achieving this.
He also recognises that for change to be genuine and lasting, it requires the active involvement and support of those working within and around the organisation. The Trust will do whatever it can to help the management achieve this change and, if necessary, to push them to do more or go further. There are long-term and deep-seated issues to tackle, but today’s reports provide a clear impetus to do so urgently and openly. To that end, the Trust will continue to pursue these questions with the DG, taking stock of his progress at each of its monthly meetings for the remainder of the year.
These events will forever be a source of deep regret and shame. Many people were failed by those who should have protected and supported them. Our commitment to the survivors and to the public is to ensure we do everything possible to prevent this happening again.
Updated
at 10.56am GMT
10.12am GMT
10:12
The presenter Miriam O’Reilly who fought the BBC over claims of ageism said she was not surprised by the findings. The former Countryfile presenter tweeted that staff are still afraid to speak up.
No surprise #BBC staff still afraid to speak up to Dame Janet Smith Inquiry. Too many personal consequences resulting from execs retribution
10.05am GMT
10:05
Key points
Jamie Grierson
Jamie Grierson picks out the main points of Smith’s report:
Updated
at 10.41am GMT
10.00am GMT
10:00
Report published
“Serious failings” at the BBC allowed Jimmy Savile to sexually abuse 72 women and children without detection for decades, according to a damning report published on Thursday which insisted that the corporation still had lessons to learn, write Jane Martinson and Jamie Grierson.
Dame Janet Smith, who started the independent inquiry in October 2012, found that although the criminal behaviour was largely the fault of the perpetrators, the BBC could have stopped it but failed to do so.
A “macho culture” of sexism and sexual harrassment and an “atmosphere of fear” led many employees to keep quiet about concerns, she wrote. She found BBC staff “more worried about reputation than the safety of children”.
The report, which 372,400 words, made for “sorry reading” for the BBC said Smith, a former Court of Appeal judge.
Smith also urged the BBC to examine its culture today, particularly when it came to the continued fear of speaking out and its attitudes towards “the Talent”, or on-screen presenters.
In conclusion, Smith writes: “The delivery of these reports presents an opportunity for the BBC to take steps to ensure that history cannot repeat itself.”
However, the report ultimately concludes that there is no evidence that the BBC as a corporate body was aware of Savile’s conduct and therefore can not be convicted of any offence.
In a conclusion which may disappoint campaigners for victims, Smith’s “overarching recommendation” was that the BBC should carry out a further review and subsequent audit of its current management.
Updated
at 10.07am GMT
9.44am GMT
09:44
Kevin Cook, one of Savile’s victims said he was abused by the star when he was just nine years old. “He was almost god-like, one of the biggest stars”, he told the BBC’s Victoria Live programme.
Compelling, heart breaking, interview with one of Jimmy Savile's victims on #Derbyshire now @VictoriaLIVE pic.twitter.com/YmK7oksYVm
9.37am GMT
09:37
While we wait for Smith’s report to be published it’s worth pointing out that Tony Blackburn has repeatedly denied that he witnessed any abuse by Savile.
In a 2014 TV interview with Piers Morgan, he said “were always rumours about him [Savile] but I never saw him do anything wrong. I didn’t realise how bad he was.”
Blackburn said it was is a “sin” that Jimmy Savile will not pay for his crimes.
Blackburn, who worked with Savile at Radio 1 for many years, said none of his colleagues “liked him particularly”, adding: “He was an oddball. I didn’t like him as a person. It was always this silly Jimmy Savile. He never talked to you in a normal way.”
Blackburn says he had been sacked by the BBC because his evidence to Smith shows that a cover-up, of which he had no knowledge, had taken place.
Here’s a profile of the veteran broadcaster:
Related: Tony Blackburn: BBC presenter's career spans six decades
Updated
at 9.38am GMT
8.57am GMT
08:57
Welcome to live coverage of the publication of Dame Janet Smith’s report into the BBC’s failure to prevent abuse by the TV star Jimmy Savile.
Smith’s report, which is expected to criticise the BBC and its deferential culture, will be published at 10am.
Jane Martinson, the Guardian’s head of media, sets the stage:
The review is expected to offer a searing indictment of the BBC and its culture, which did nothing to stop the abuse “in virtually every corner” of the corporation.
A draft of the report, leaked in January, criticised the corporation’s “deferential culture”, with “untouchable stars” and “above the law” managers.
The report also found that while new safeguards had made sexism and abuse far less frequent than they were in the 1970s, the culture of fear which stopped employees speaking out had actually got worse. Short-term and freelance contracts meant a workforce “with little or no job security”, which was even less likely to speak out about the behaviour of colleagues.
But the BBC cannot be criticised for failing to uncover Savile’s “sexual deviancy”, it said, given the failure of law enforcement agencies to do the same thing.
The inquiry took evidence from more than 475 witnesses into whether BBC bosses were, or ought to have been, aware of inappropriate sexual conduct on its premises, and will look to identify any lessons to be learned and consider whether the BBC’s current child protection and whistleblowing policies are fit for purpose.
Launched by the BBC at the height of the Jimmy Savile scandal in October 2012, the inquiry was linked to a separate inquiry by Dame Linda Dobbs into the activities of Stuart Hall, the former It’s a Knockout presenter who was jailed in 2013 after he admitted indecently assaulting 13 girls, one as young as nine, between 1967 and 1985. Now 85, he was released in December 2015 after serving half his sentence.
Savile died in October 2011 aged 84 without having faced trial for any of his crimes. Indeed, he was awarded the OBE in 1971 and was knighted in 1990.
Following the leak, published by the Exaro website, Smith released a statement describing the version of the report as “out of date” and said significant changes had been made to the final report.
Meanwhile, veteran radio DJ Tony Blackburn says he is planning to sue the BBC after he was reportedly sacked ahead of Smith’s report. The 73-year-old claimed he had been sacked because his evidence to Smith shows that a cover-up, of which he had no knowledge, had taken place.
Some reporters, including the Guardian’s Jamie Grierson have been early sight of the Smith report at lock-in at the BBC.
I'm at the BBC to read Dame Janet Smith's report on Jimmy Savile abuse at the BBC. pic.twitter.com/h679tLx32Q
After publication at 10am, Smith is expected to give a press conference at around 10.15am.
Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, and Rona Fairhead, chair of the BBC’s Trust will then respond on behalf of the corporation.
