Esther Rantzen

I didn't work in the same department with Jimmy [Jimmy Savile], but I felt in a strange way responsible. We all joined in the mythology of Sir Jimmy, we gave him this status so that he was out of reach. It was on a level of gossip. People may say 'why didn't you pass it on?' Who to? We know that the police investigated complaints and couldn't take it further. You heard the rumours. I never liked the man, he was always a creep, but creepy is never evidence. He had his life in compartments. The people he ran marathons with had no idea of the other Jimmy Savile. Show less «

Paedophiles have a disguise. Monsters don't get near children, nice men do. That's the mask they have to wear in order to get to kids. Show less «

[on Lynsey de Paul] She could do everything - she could sing, she could compose, she was an immensely talented artist. She became a huge star but she was also a loyal and generous friend. It's an absolutely tragic loss. Show less «

[on Sir Jimmy Savile] It is a measure of his status, his role in society at that stage. He was a sort of clown-saint. He managed somehow to manipulate us all to believing that he was funny, entertaining and doing an awful lot of good. And that mask was impenetrable. I met the man half a dozen times. I never felt I knew him, there was always a very strange creation, he created this personality, but I didn't actually see behind it the depraved, sadistic paedophile we now know existed. Show less «

[on Sir Jimmy Savile] I think the nature of his crimes is still a shock. I think reading what he did to vulnerable people, whatever their age, but particularly the very young and disturbed and with mental health issues, is just revolting. Show less «

[on Jimmy Savile] He raised huge sums of money for charity. He did a great deal. I never did the marathon which he did, but I know people who did. He was exactly off screen as he appeared on screen: eccentric, idiosyncratic, he was a one-off, he was his own invention, with the cigar, the shiny shell-suits. When we met he'd kiss my hand, not many people do that. Show less «