Who is Jimmy Savile? All about the s*x offender ahead of BBC's The Reckoning 

The true story of Jimmy Savile, the television personality and English DJ, who was an alleged s*xual assaulter and p*dophile, is all set to be explored and depicted in the forthcoming four-part true-crime show The Reckoning. The series will arrive on BBC later this year, tentatively in the fall of 2023, as per the announcement made by BBC.

The Reckoning will feature actor Steve Coogan in the role of Jimmy Savile. The series will showcase how Savile integrated himself into various institutions, including charities, prisons, and hospitals, among others, in order to look for his victims and commit offensive activities.

Ever since the news of the four-part true-crime series was released by BBC, viewers have been quite curious to learn all about Savile. So, without further ado, let's jump right in to find out all about the s*xual abuser, ahead of the premiere of The Reckoning on BBC.

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Learn all about the criminal activities of Jimmy Savile before The Reckoning arrives on BBC

Who was Jimmy Savile and what did he do?

Stills of Jimmy Savile (Images Via Wikipedia)

Born on October 31, 1926, James Wilson Vincent Savile, publically known as Jimmy Savile, was an English radio and television personality and a DJ. He was well-known for hosting BBC shows like Jim'll Fix It and Top of the Pops. Throughout his lifetime, he was recognized as a charitable man who helped make children's wishes come true through his shows and work of charity.

Savile passed away on October 29, 2011, at the age of 84. Several months after his demise, mostly in late 2012, numerous allegations of s*xual assault and p*dophelic behavior against the Savile began to come to the surface. He was allegedly engaged in s*xual offenses against hundreds of people, within the age group of 5 to 75. Most of his victims were female children, as per Mirror.

As reported by The Guardian, the sinister television personality, Jimmy Savile, misused his powerful position in the British television industry to prey on vulnerable children. His shows and charity work made him involved with several hospitals, prisons, and institutions that worked with children in need. It gave him the opportunity to get close to the children and find his victims, as sted by Mirror.

Reportedly, on October 19, 2012, the Metropolitan Police or Met in London went on to start a formal investigation named Operation Yewtree. The operation looked into the astounding and historically chilling allegations against Savile of child s*xual abuse and other criminal s*xual acts on people, some of whom were still living, over a total of decades.

A still of Jimmy Savile (Image Via IMDb)

On the basis of the claims of more than 200 witnesses, the massive investigation, according to the Met, was being conducted by 14 police forces across the United Kingdom and involved more than 400 streams of inquiry. As per Mirror, the Met demonstrated the alleged criminal activities by Jimmy Savile were "on an unprecedented scale".

Reportedly, by December 19, 2012, a total of 8 people had been thoroughly questioned as a significant part of the Met investigation. The Met went on to release a statement that said that the number of the total alleged victims was 589, of whom 450 victims alleged s*xual abuse by Savile. As an outcome of the scandal, a number of the honors that the evil man was awarded during his lifetime, were revoked posthumously.

The shocking and heartwrenching Savile case was a key factor in the establishment of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which was established by Theresa May, then-Home British Secretary, in July 2014.

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BBC's documentary series The Reckoning will debut later in 2023.