***Warning: This article mentions sexual abuse.***
Louis Theroux has witnessed all sorts of bizarre things throughout his career, but one of the most unique has to be someone being sexually inappropriate toward Jimmy Savile.
Savile was, of course, the TV presenter who himself was found to have sexually abused hundreds of children and women at the height of his fame.
Inquiries into his offending didn't begin until after he died in 2011, but prior to his death Theroux was able to interview Savile for his documentary When Louis Met Jimmy.
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The doc, which was released in 2000, saw Theroux spend three months working with Savile, trying to get a glimpse of who the presenter was behind his public persona.
In the wake of the revelations about Savile's abuse, Theroux began to look at the time he spent with Savile in a different light.
In a video made for British GQ, Theroux reflected on one particular situation that unfolded during his time with Savile after being asked about a moment he 'never managed to get on camera'.
Revealing that he'd 'never told this story before', Theroux said: "I was once filming with Jimmy Savile while he was alive, and we were filming in a pub in Scotland.
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"As we were leaving the pub, a Scottish man ran up to Jimmy and exposed himself. His c*ck and balls, as I recall."
Knowing what he knows now about Savile, Theroux added: "It seems rather strange, don't you think, that I'm probably the only person who documented someone being sexually inappropriate to Jimmy Saville."
Last year, Theroux told The Big Issue there was nothing he could have said to Savile during their meeting that 'would have made him be honest about anything'.
That being said, Theroux said he would try to take action if he had the chance to speak to Savile one last time.
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He explained: "If I did meet him again, instead of just speaking to him I’d bring along Kat Ward, an abuse survivor I interviewed. If she was up for it obviously. And basically I’d let her drive the conversation rather than me.
“You could do a sort of, almost a piece of theatre, some sort of intervention. You could shout at him. But I’m not sure quite what good that would do me, whether that would be in any way helpful to me.
“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.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays.
Topics: Jimmy Savile, Louis Theroux, BBC, TV and Film
Emily Brown