Two reports published this morning state that "serious failings" at the BBC let Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall abuse almost 100 people without detection.
Dame Jane Smith led the independent inquiry, which began in 2012, and her findings are damning of the corporation, concluding that the BBC could have stopped the behaviour, but failed to do so. She cites a "macho culture" and an "atmosphere of fear", in which staff were “more worried about reputation than the safety of children.”
She adds that, “an atmosphere of fear still exists today in the BBC possibly because obtaining work in the BBC is highly competitive and many people no longer have the security of an employment contract.”
The report, she says, makes for "sorry reading" for the corporation.
It does, however, off the mitigation of acknowledging that the there is no evidence that the BBC was actually aware of Savile’s conduct – and therefore cannot be convicted of any offence.
In total, Savile sexually assaulted 57 females and 15 boys, including eight cases of rape. The cigar-smoking DJ died in October 2011, before the full extent of his crimes came to light.
The report on Stuart Hall says that staff failed to report inappropriate conduct because he was deemed "untouchable". He served half of a five-year jail term before being released in December.
Meanwhile, Tony Blackburn - the very first voice to broadcast on Radio 1 in 1967 - has revealed that he has been 'sacked' by the corporation. It is believed that his departure centres on apparent discrepancies in evidence he gave to the Savile inquiry in relation to an allegation that he had abused a girl in 1971. The DJ says he was cleared of any wrongdoing and was never interviewed over the incident - but the inquiry states that a memo shows that he had been interviewed about the allegation.