What a disappointment. I had hoped (as the opening lines stated), this dramatisation would explain how Savile was able to hide in plain sight and get away with what he did for so long. But it did nothing of the sort. This series lacked the detail of a documentary and the immersiveness of a dramatisation, therefore giving us no reason to watch at all. I wanted to hear more about the people who enabled him, what did they do? What about people who complained during his lifetime, there must have been some? None of this was presented. How about investigations? The show alludes to at least one by the BBC, how was this carried out?
I cannot believe that throughout his career there was nothing more than a few rumours as the production seems to portray. This man, being so prolific in his crimes, would have needed a huge team of close people to enable him and none of this is explained in the show. The fact that it is a dramatisation gives the producers liberty to create characters in this regard if they don't want to point the finger at real people. I had hoped the show would reveal more about the dark side of the establishment - how money, ratings, greed and fear drove those around him to lie and cover up and mislead everyone, but nothing there either. I could go on.
Good points: Steve Coogan is a good impersonator of Savile. The real footage interspersed along the timeline was good, and I would have liked to see more of this archive stuff, as, although Coogan was able to portray the dark side of Savile well, the charismatic side didn't quite come across.
Finally, the victims who shared their stories on camera are incredibly brave. I just wish this production had done them justice.
I cannot believe that throughout his career there was nothing more than a few rumours as the production seems to portray. This man, being so prolific in his crimes, would have needed a huge team of close people to enable him and none of this is explained in the show. The fact that it is a dramatisation gives the producers liberty to create characters in this regard if they don't want to point the finger at real people. I had hoped the show would reveal more about the dark side of the establishment - how money, ratings, greed and fear drove those around him to lie and cover up and mislead everyone, but nothing there either. I could go on.
Good points: Steve Coogan is a good impersonator of Savile. The real footage interspersed along the timeline was good, and I would have liked to see more of this archive stuff, as, although Coogan was able to portray the dark side of Savile well, the charismatic side didn't quite come across.
Finally, the victims who shared their stories on camera are incredibly brave. I just wish this production had done them justice.
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