Shame of the BBC: How top TV presenters from Jimmy Savile to Stuart Hall and Huw Edwards captured the trust of the British public – while harbouring a secret dark side

The BBC has been rocked by paedophile scandals in recent times stretching again many years as flagship faces together with Jimmy Savile and Stuart Corridor hid a secret darkish facet. 

Right now the company’s troubles deepened as former face of BBC Information Huw Edwards pleaded responsible to creating vile footage of youngsters.

However he’s simply the most recent in a protracted sequence of paedophiles who’ve labored on the BBC, lots of whom have been uncovered following the Savile scandal which rocked the company within the early 2010s. 

The status of the BBC has been marred by one paedophile scandal after one other relationship again over half a century. 

Right here MailOnline takes a have a look at the worst scandals surrounding the company. 

Huw Edwards

Edwards, 62, saved seven class ‘A’ photos of the very worse type on his telephone and shared them on WhatsApp with different little one intercourse offenders.

The veteran information broadcaster, who introduced the demise of Queen Elizabeth II and introduced protection of her funeral had a complete of 41 foul footage.

The sick little one porn photos confirmed children aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket heard, with a number of of the worst photos depicting kids below 9. 

His profession appears to be like to be over – and he faces as much as ten years in jail, though he prone to escape custody due to jail overcrowding.

The daddy-of-five has now moved out of the household dwelling in Dulwich after separating from his spouse. He has been residing in a flat in Earlsfield, south west London.

The Welshman resigned from the BBC three months in the past after a glittering profession spanning nearly 40 years.

Surrounded by cops, Edwards arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket carrying black sun shades, a blue tie, white shirt and black go well with.

Showing in court docket right this moment the previous newsreader admitted to the costs which involved seven class A photos 12 class B photos and 22 class C photos on a telephone

Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, spoke to verify his date of delivery, deal with and admit the three fees.

He saved seven class A photos, essentially the most severe classification of indecent photos, on a telephone.

Edwards additionally made 12 class B photos and 22 class C photos. The offences are opposite to sections 1(1)(a) and 6 of the Safety of Youngsters Act 1978.

Class A entails photos involving penetrative sexual exercise, sexual exercise with an animal or sadism; Class B covers photos which present non-penetrative sexual exercise; whereas Class C is for indecent photos not inside classes B or C.

Edwards introduced the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) in 2011 and likewise the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021.

Jimmy Savile 

Jimmy Savile is believed to have abused as much as 450 younger individuals, together with these in hospital

The BBC’s most prolific paedophile scandal involved presenter Jimmy Savile, who died earlier than allegations of his sexual abuse of younger kids grew to become extensively recognized.

He confronted repeated allegations throughout his life however refuted them, and was the topic of two police investigations – though neither led to fees.

In 2009 Savile famously defended viewers of kid pornography, claiming they ‘did not do something flawed’. 

After his demise in 2011 Newsnight drew up a report on Savile’s alleged offences, together with interviewing survivors, nevertheless it was by no means printed. 

The next 12 months ITV revealed particulars of allegations in opposition to Savile regarding as much as ten girls, one in every of whom was 14 on the time.

As extra victims got here ahead the BBC confronted immense scrutiny over how Savile was permitted to abuse women and girls for many years, together with those that have been critically ailing in hospital. 

It’s thought as much as 450 younger individuals have been assaulted by the presenter.

Police recorded 199 crimes in 17 police drive areas through which Savile was a suspect, amongst them 31 allegations of rape.

The crimes stretched 1955 to 2009 and allegations included the abuse of desperately ailing kids and necrophilia with corpses at included Leeds Basic Infirmary mortuary.

BBC bosses have been accused of staging varied cover-ups to guard Savile, who dedicated the offences at hospitals and areas throughout the nation together with BBC Tv Centre.

Chris Denning 

One among BBC Radio 1’s authentic presenters Chris Denning was discovered responsible of kid intercourse offences within the UK, Slovakia and the Czech Republic

Chris Denning, one of many authentic Radio 1 presenters, was repeatedly discovered responsible of varied little one intercourse offences till his demise in 2022.

He was a member of the paedophile ring the Walton Hop within the Seventies and was first convicted for gross indecency and indecent assault in 1974.

Escaping a jail sentence the primary time, the The place It is At presenter was put behind bars for 18 months in 1985 for gross indecency with a toddler.

Three years later, he was jailed for 3 years in 1988 for indecent assault on a 13-year-old boy and possession of indecent images.

In 2000, Denning was charged with offences within the Czech Republic and convicted of abusing seven boys below 15.

He was launched from jail in 2001, earlier than returning to the UK in 2005, the place he was arrested at Heathrow and admitted 5 fees of indecent assault of boys aged below 16. Denning was jailed for 4 years. 

In 2008, he was extradited from Britain to Slovakia, the place he was jailed for 5 years for producing little one pornography.

In 2014 Denning was jailed for 13 years after he admitted to a complete to 40 sexual offences dedicated from 1967 to 1987 regarding 26 male victims, the youngest of whom was 9 years previous.

In 2016, Denning was given one other 13 years after pleaded responsible to 21 intercourse offences in opposition to 11 boys between 1969 and 1986, the youngest of whom was aged eight.

Jonathan King

Jonathan King was convicted of sexual offences in opposition to 5 boys aged 14 and 15

Presenter and singer-singwriter Jonathan King was one other member of the Walton Hop with Denning and rose to fame along with his hit track, Everybody’s Gone to the Moon.

The Nineteen Eighties noticed him in distinguished roles on the BBC together with on Prime of the Pops. 

However in 2001 King’s success ended as he was convicted of sexual offences dedicated between 1983 and 1987 in opposition to 5 boys aged 14 and 15, for which he was jailed for seven years.

A number of different trials both collapsed or King was not convicted. 

After his launch he printed a number of books and nonetheless writes a column for prisoner journal Inside Time.

Chris Langham 

Actor Chris Langham, 75, was discovered responsible of downloading little one sexual abuse photos, together with one which concerned the ‘brutalisation’ of an eight-year-old woman

Langham starred within the BBC’s hit sequence The Thick of It as cupboard minister Hugh Abbott

Actor Chris Langham, who starred within the BBC’s hit sequence The Thick of It as cupboard minister Hugh Abbott, grew to become a well-recognized face – and voice – on the BBC after that includes in a sequence of radio exhibits and TV sequence.

Langham, 75, was named Greatest Comedy Actor within the 2005 British Comedy Awards and gained the Greatest Comedy Efficiency award for his function in The Thick of It.

However in 2005 the actor was arrested by Kent Police as a part of Operation Ore, which focused credit-card prospects paying to entry indecent and abusive photos of youngsters on the web.

In 2007 he was discovered responsible of downloading 15 little one sexual abuse photos and movies.

Langham was sentenced to 10 months in jail and positioned on the intercourse offender’s listing for ten years. 

His trial heard that one of many movies confirmed the ‘sadistic brutalisation of an eight-year-old woman.’ The sufferer was from the UK and confirmed ‘graphic element’ of ‘severe sexual offences’ in opposition to her.

Langham was sentenced to 10 months in jail and was positioned on the sexual offenders register for ten years. His sentence was decreased to 6 months on attraction.

Final 12 months the BBC was criticised for placing all of the exhibits of ‘In The Thick of It’ again in on the BBC iPlayer.

Stuart Corridor 

In April 2013, Stuart Corridor pleaded responsible to 14 fees of indecent assault in opposition to 13 women aged between 9 and 17

Presenter Stuart Corridor first labored his manner up the BBC’s ranks by presenting a spread of regional programmes within the northwest of England.

His huge break got here in 1972, when he began presenting ‘It is a Knockout’ on BBC 1. He fronted the prgramme for ten years earlier than changing into the unique host of A Query of Sport.

Corridor was even given an OBE within the 2012 New Yr’s honours.

However that very same 12 months noticed his first accuser contact a journalist and declare she had been groomed and sexually abused by Corridor within the Seventies. She mentioned she needed to return ahead after the Jeremy Savile scandal and amid anger at his OBE. 

In December 2012 police arrested Corridor and he was charged with counts of indecent assault in opposition to a 16 or 17-year-old in 1974, a nine-year-old woman in 1983 and a 13-year-old in 1984. 

Only a month later in January 2013, Corridor was charged with raping a 22-year-old girl in 1976 and indecently assaulting ten extra women, aged from 9 to 17 years previous, between 1967 and 1986.

In April 2013, Corridor pleaded responsible to 14 fees of indecent assault in opposition to 13 women aged between 9 and 17. 

In October of the identical 12 months police confirmed he had been charged with 16 additional offences, together with the rape of a 12-year-old woman.

He admitted one cost, was convicted of two counts of indecent assault in opposition to a 13-year-old however not responsible of 15 additional fees. 

In 2013 he was jailed for 30 months earlier than a decide at his second trial jailed him for two-and-a-half years. He has since been launched from jail.

Rolf Harris 

Rolf Harris was convicted over sexual abuse of 4 women, together with one aged simply seven

Harris was additionally later accused of sexual assault by Vanessa Feltz and Linda Nolan

The next 12 months kids’s presenter and entertainer Rolf Harris was jailed 5 years and 9 months after he was convicted of 12 fees of indecent assault in opposition to 4 women – together with one aged seven.

Harris, who was Australian, launched his profession making songs and shortly grew to become a UK TV character by way of exhibits equivalent to Animal Hospital.

He even hosted an academic programme for 5 to eight 12 months olds through which he suggested them on how one can keep away from conditions the place they is likely to be weak to sexual abuse.

However his distinguished profession on the BBC got here to an finish after being charged with 9 counts of indecent assault relationship to the Nineteen Eighties, involving two women between 14 and 16 years previous, and 4 counts alleging manufacturing of indecent little one photos in 2012.

He was later additionally charged with three additional fees of sexual assault. The CPS mentioned that the brand new fees have been of alleged assault in opposition to females aged nineteen in 1984, aged seven or eight in 1968 or 1969, and aged fourteen in 1975.

Harris was in the end convicted of all 12 fees of indecent assault and sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in jail.

In 2014 Vanessa Feltz additionally accused Harris of sexual assault when she interviewed him dwell on air, and Linda Nolan additionally claimed he groped her when she was 15.

In 2017, one conviction was overturned regarding an alleged assault on an eight-year-old woman on the grounds it was unsafe.