Louis Theroux, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker, has named Jimmy Savile as the worst person he has ever encountered in his three-decade career. Theroux made two documentaries about Savile, the first in 2000 before the paedophile's crimes were exposed, and a follow-up in 2016 reflecting on the revelations.
In an interview with LadBible, Theroux explained why Savile stands out: 'My mind tends to go to Jimmy Savile, basically because when I met him, I was making a documentary about him—his crimes had not been discovered. So it's that strange dissonance of later finding out that he'd done these dreadful things, that he'd been a serial sex offender, and not knowing at the time.'
Theroux previously told the Irish Times in 2019 that he felt 'strange feelings of guilt and responsibility' for having viewed Savile in a friendly light after filming. He said: 'It was during that time that, without the presence of the camera, and in a more relaxed atmosphere, I sort of began to think of him in a more friendly way. So later on, when it came out that he'd been abusing and assaulting men and women, boys and girls, that was what my mind turned to—the sense that I'd allowed myself to think of him in a friendly way.'
In 2022, Theroux told the Big Issue that he continues to reflect on his guilt for not questioning Savile more thoroughly. He expressed a desire to hold Savile accountable, saying: 'I'd prefer to focus on the dignity of the survivors. So if I could facilitate some kind of act of holding him to account that involved some of the victims, that would mean something to me.'
Theroux's comments coincide with the release of his latest project, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, on Netflix.
