Cindy Kent reflects on Jimmy Savile scandal

The Reverend Cindy Kent, a former pop star, BBC presenter and now an Anglican priest, has stepped forward with her memories of Sir Jimmy Savile, the popular British TV and radio host and DJ whom it has been alleged had sexually abused "at least 300 victims" on BBC property as well as in schools and hospitals where he volunteered.

The scandal, which is rocking Great Britain and has thrown the BBC into crisis, came about after media claims that many of the girls Savile was alleged to have assaulted were underage.
The situation for the esteemed BBC was made worse when reports surfaced that last December they cancelled a segment which contained the underage claims about Savile, who died last year at the age of 84.

One UK journalist has described it as "the worst crisis" the BBC has faced in the last 50 years.

Cindy Kent was once the lead singer with the popular British folk group, The Settlers, and was a regular guest on Jimmy Savile's BBC Radio show called "Speakeasy" which always began with the theme song, "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters, and dealt with serious issues such as war, education, health, religion and politics.

She shares her recollections of Savile here:

"Jimmy Savile used to call me 'Cindy legs' and we did the radio show Speakeasy, which he hosted, several times. Everyone knew he was a letch and his mobile home which he travelled the country in was talked about as 'rocking most of the night'.

"I couldn't say that I knew they were underage girls, but he was known for liking them young. I'm not condoning it, but it was a different time and attitudes were different then.

"For instance, we [The Settlers] used to work with a session bass player, who has since become a Christian, and he used to place both his hands on my breasts and say, 'I wonder if I can tune into Radio Luxembourg'! I protested, but it was always laughed off as, 'Oh, it's just his bit of fun'."

"I'm horrified at the revelation of cover up at the Beeb which are coming out and feel sad that such a loved and honoured institution can have got it so wrong.

"On the payola scandal [the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast], again people knew it went on and was considered part of the perks of the job. The Settlers, and me in particular, we're once cited in a News of the World article about the sex parties.

"We ran it by our solicitor but because it didn't actually name me, just said something like 'lead singer of the folk group who are regularly on the God Slot TV' - we couldn't sue."