Louis Theroux wanted to write a book about Jimmy Savile.
Louis Theroux
The filmmaker made a documentary, 'When Louis Met Jimmy', about the late paedophile presenter in 2000 and stayed in touch with him for several years afterwards, and has now admitted their social bond was partly for research for a project he wanted to work on.
He explained: "One of my reasons for keeping in touch was that I was aware I hadn't quite figured him out. For a while I kept notes for a book I thought I might write one day that would try to unravel who he was."
After Savile died, his depraved nature came to the surface and Louis was spurred on to make a new documentary - which aired last night (02.10.16) - in a bid to connect the revelations with the man he knew and figure out if he himself had been "played" by the former 'Top of the Pops' presenter.
Writing for the BBC website, he wrote: "Those people who were friendly with Savile have had to come to terms with the role he played in their lives.
"For my own part, that has involved a process of taking stock - attempting to piece together what I knew of the man and how it fits with the accounts of the victims.
"Late last year, I began doing this in a more concerted way as part of a follow-up TV documentary. I interviewed victims. I also spoke to other people who knew him - friends and colleagues, some of whom worked alongside him for decades.
"In the process I tried to form a picture of who Jimmy Savile was and how someone known to millions for his programmes and his charity work had, over several decades, got away with a catalogue of crimes.
"Behind all of this there was a more personal mission - to figure out my own role in the affair and whether I was, in some way, 'played'?"
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