He was a host of Top of the Pops in England (a clone of American Bandstand) for years. He never married and lived with his mother until she died in her 80s. In all the “NME Poll Express Winners” concerts featuring iconic groups like the Beatles, he was the emcee. He was a bit strange, not surprised at this.
I lived in the UK for almost a decade and Savile was a big deal. Personally, I didn’t like him. I thought he was an ugly smartass with the silly ‘seaside humor’ (sex, sex, sex) mentality of a 14 year old. Always tried to play the ‘working class Yorkshireman’ crap. Just ‘one of the lads’. Fake, fake, fake.
They do love their ‘eccentrics’ in Britian.
Louis Theroux did a pretty good show on him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBC4JNrybKo