Background

30 June 2014

Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris was found guilty in June 2014 on 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls and young women.

Investigators have found that ex-BBC DJ Jimmy Savile sexually assaulted victims aged five to 75 in NHS hospitals over decades of unrestricted access.

Stuart Hall pleaded guilty in May 2014 to 14 offences of indecently assaulting 13 girls between 1967 and 1985

Rolf Harris

Dave Plowman

I recently heard Duggie Squires on “PM” saying that, in all the years he worked with Harris, he had no idea what he was up to – or had heard any gossip.

I think many of us will have worked on his shows with the Young Generation and would agree with that – he seemed squeaky clean.

Peter Cook

My enduring memory of working with Rolf was from “Animal Hospital” and “Zoo Watch”, although I had a few earlier OB “Rolf on Saturday” shoots. During  the Animal Hospital series, my late wife was ill with cancer and before “Zoo Watch” she passed away. Rolf was caring and kindness itself before and after the event, and on a later “Animal Hospital” series gave personal  encouragement to a new friend who I later married. There was never any suspicion of a ‘dark side’ but the impression that, like Blackpool rock, he had ‘good bloke’ throughout his body.

What I find difficult to comprehend is how behaviour in 1960s can be judged by courts on the interpretation of law in 2010s. It is like the ‘N’ word used in the “Dam Busters”. Things like that might be deemed unacceptable now but were unremarkable 50 years ago (or even 20 years ago). Which one of us can honestly look back to our teens and twenties and not find the odd bit of suspect behaviour by our current moral and cultural understanding which has evolved as we have grown older and culture has changed? I am not proud of every action I have ever taken. A hand on a bum sometimes deserved and got a slap or a knee in the groin (sometimes not). Now it seems either is all too frequently put in the hands of lawyers; to my mind they are the ‘n-word’ in the woodpile. They are a drain on public resources, so often wasting huge amounts of time and money in lengthy courtroom battles, both on ‘enquiries’ or prosecutions. Should those of us who received the slap or knee be looking over our shoulder for marauding lawyers, when the message was received and understood half a century ago and subject closed? I hope not.

Michael Cotton

The only autograph I ever got (or wanted) as it was not the done thing in 30 odd years at the BBC was that of Rolf Harris who drew a caricature of himself and Coogie Bear on the back of a script for my children. Sad to see that some of his pictures are now being reduced to clear.

Pat Heigham

I remember being instructed that technical crew were not allowed to fraternise with the ‘artistes’!

Crew Three challenged the cast of the “Black and White Minstrels” to a bowling match, which happened, but I can’t remember who won!

When the BBC book of the “Black and White Minstrels” was published, I managed to get it autographed by most of the principal cast and the crew.  It’s a prized possession (by me) but as it’s now known as ‘the show which can’t admit it’s name’ – useless to anyone else.

I made an 8mm film in 1962-63, (with sound!).  It was shown:

• in the TVC sixth floor suite at a shindig for the B & W after the Montreux win
• in Hollywood, by Richard Levin (then Head of TV Design) at a convention.
• at George Mitchell’s 80th Birthday party.

At George Mitchell’s 80th Birthday party there was a goodly turn out of cast, and, having been in touch with George since I left the BBC, managed, within 30 mins to contact enough of Crew 3 to make up a table at the party.

Having gone freelance, I worked on several major film productions and took my autograph book along (I’ve even obtained O.J. Simpson!)

Ian Norman

I never worked with Mr. Harris, but a close friend of mine who was a Production Assistant, knew him quite well.

She was from Australia, had moved to London to work in television and often said how kind and considerate he had been to her.

I have never heard anything but good of him and I find this news very hard to believe.

Martin Kisner

I worked on a kids series with Rolf Harris at Lime Grove I recall. At the end of each programme he handed out most of his drawings and paintings to the crew. One of these hangs in a room in our house. Following the guilty verdict it is about to be demoted to a wall in the loo!

About a year ago (2013) a value of £800 was put on it. I would think the bottom has fallen out of that market now!

Roger Bunce

I too have an original piece of Rolf Harris artwork – a large portrait of Daffy Duck produced during a “Cartoon Time” in Pres. B, and signed to my kids. Admittedly it’s not framed, just stuffed in a drawer. But I think I’ll keep it.

In truth, I always liked the man. I know the jury heard more evidence than we did, but I can’t help worrying about their verdict. Just as, from the opposite perspective, I have doubts about the DLT and Rebecca Brooks verdicts. There seems to be a random element to British justice these days – random combined with how much you pay your lawyers. Will there be an appeal?

I never heard any rumours about him, nor about Savile. But I always found Savile a creepy character, and never understood his appeal. The News on 01/07/2014 (I can’t remember if it was BBC) sank to a new low, showing footage of Harris and Savile together, smearing him by association, while the commentary pointed out that there is no evidence that they ever did anything villainous together, and that, when they visited Broadmoor, they were supervised the whole time. So, if there’s ‘No Evidence’ why is this being shown as headline news? You could equally show footage of them with the Queen, the P.M., etc. Come on! The allegations against Savile are of a wholly different order of magnitude from those against Harris.

John Nottage

I have a modern Rolf Harris painting (print of) which we bought when he came to Southwold with his art exhibition a couple of years ago. I have no intention of hiding it: it’s still a very good painting.

I worked with him on “Animal Hospital” for several years. Watching all  the young vet assistants singing along to all Rolf’s old hits he sang  at the end-of-show party was amazing.

Dave Plowman

What I personally found a surprising was, if I recall correctly,  a make-up person saying he was known as “the octopus”, presumably arms everywhere. And that hadn’t been studio floor gossip – unlike rumours about Savile, and others in TOTP (or rather not while I still worked at the Beeb).

Acceptable behaviour does tend to change over the years – but sexual exploits with minors and rape not. If in all these cases it only amounted to a grope or two with adults many years ago, I doubt the cases would have come to court.

Bernie Newnham

What is the balance between the good and bad in one person? When Churchill ordered the bombing of Berlin or wherever, full of millions of ordinary people, was he a mass murderer or saviour of civilisation?    Did the management of Stoke Mandeville overlook the nastiness of Jimmy Savile because he brought in huge amounts of charity cash that they could use to help the needy?   What about pop stars and DJs who were (and certainly still are) tempted endlessly by under-age groupies?

Who do we excuse and why? Who do we convict, and how much punishment do we give?
How much do good deeds mitigate bad ones?   I don’t know, and I doubt anyone does, really.

I once pitched a film to BBC Arts about Gustav Klimpt.  If someone offered, even now, I’d drop what I’m doing and pour all my efforts in to it – and I’m generally not gripped by the idea of being a sharp end producer any more.  I love Klimpt’s art, and his controversial life makes a great story.  Amongst many other things he was famous for having naked nymphs wandering his studio to give him inspiration.  My opening scene would have been just that – in an all white room with tall French windows and thin white curtains blowing in the breezes of southern France, Klimpt painting glorious colours with added gold leaf in the middle. Of course, my nymphs would all be over 18, but I rather think that his weren’t.   He was also known to not just observe his nymphs.   When his case comes posthumously to court, what would be his theoretical punishment?  How do you pitch his inspiration and art against statutory rape of under-age teenagers, especially as he probably had to fend them off most of the time? What’s the correct punishment?

Jimmy Savile

Paul Kay

I worked a great deal with Jimmy Savile  and also very very surprised. I also took 3 girls home to High Wycombe (his fan club) on my own way home. Not the slightest hint of problems. I have given evidence to two enquiries.

Peter Cook

I too have corresponded with two enquiries relating to Savile. (Dame Janet Smith & NHS)  I did not know his character a fraction of the way I believed I knew Rolf. But I did witness first hand some of the facilities that existed, through his efforts, to help those with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville and was shocked to see how easily every scrap of good work had been instantly forgotten the moment the witch hunt began. In my cynicism, I see the main beneficiaries to all this activity are again the lawyers and the press. What a crazy world we inhabit.

Alec Bray

A number of friends have asked me why did the BBC keep on with Jimmy Savile for TOTP.
My answer is that at the time that I was a TO (1963 to 1967) there were no rumours about Savile (leastaways, none that came in my direction) – and Jimmy Savile was extremely good at his job.  On TOTP, during the run through, the DJs would basically "rhubarb" to introduce each act. At this time, TK took at least 8.5 secs to run up (from a 10 leader) – but VT inserts took a 15 second run up (no fast start or instant starts in those days). When it came to transmission, Savile (and the others) had to talk coherently and interestingly while the floor manager counted down from 15 to none (for the last five seconds using the fingers of one hand) and they had to come out exactly on cue – which is what they all did, time after time.

Dave Plowman

There were lots of rumours about sexual exploits surrounding TOTP and the audience. Indeed some were sacked over inappropriate behaviour.

Ian Hillson

And there were rumours about Savile – otherwise why would word have gone out that he should have no part in “Children In Need”?

Ian Norman

I worked on three series of “Jim’ll Fix It”:  it was a really nice show to work on, very friendly production team.

There was never any suggestion of any inappropriate behaviour at the time.

I didn’t like Mr Savile and find the allegation against him far more believable, but I still suspect some have been exaggerated for the purpose of compensation.