BBC Failed to Safeguard Children for Years After Savile Exposed

The BBC failed to safeguard children for years after the horrific sexual crimes committed by Jimmy Savile were exposed.

Shortly after his death in October 2011, it was revealed that Savile was a prolific sexual predator who had abused at least 45 individuals that were visiting or working at the BBC. In the wake of the Savile scandal the BBC vowed to review and toughen up its child protection arrangements, but it now appears that serious weaknesses went unchecked.

A leaked report, seen by the Mail On Sunday, shows that production staff and "talent" employed on some of BBC's biggest shows were allowed to work with children without having a criminal record check.

The report was published by consultancy firm KPMG in 2018.

Anyone working with children is meant to undergo an "enhanced" criminal record check with the Disclosure and Barring Service to ensure they have no relevant previous convictions.

However, according to reports staff working on Doctors, Holby City, Casualty and Eastenders were not subject to a background check, despite child actors regularly appearing in those programmes.

The producers of Eastenders, rather naively in the view of KPMG, said they could "vouch" for each of their cast members.

The BBC Director General, Tim Davie, was also warned that some of the Corporation's highest paid stars were able to circumnavigate the checks altogether, with bosses sometimes reverting to checking their status via old newspaper cuttings.

According to the report: "One of the biggest implications for the BBC in not performing DBS checks where required is the potential for children to suffer emotional or physical harm.

"Whilst an employee's suitability to work with children cannot be determined by carrying out a DBS check alone, failing to do so may put a child's safety at risk."

Despite Savile's crimes being facilitated by the BBC's deference to him, the report chillingly claims there was still "a culture within the BBC whereby individuals would fear approaching talent to ask them to be DBS checked".

According to a BBC insider the Corporation's attitude to safeguarding children hadn't really changed in the wake of the Savile scandal, but there was more of a box-ticking culture to make it appear that it had.

The Mail On Sunday also reveals that a convicted child sex offender was able to continue working as a journalist with BBC West Midlands because bosses were totally oblivious to, and ignorant of, his convictions for sexual activity with one child and attempted sexual activity with another.

A month later the same journalist, who the Mail hasn't named for legal reasons, was convicted of racially aggravated harassment and assault, but failed to disclose any of his convictions when he secured a new BBC role in London.

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