Jimmy Savile's relationship with his mother Agnes, as seen in The Reckoning
The disgraced BBC presenter and DJ described her as the "only true love" of his life.
The relationship between Jimmy Savile and his mother Agnes is a core focus of BBC drama The Reckoning, which delves into the former BBC presenter and DJ's extensive sexual abuse, and how he was enabled, knowingly or unknowingly, by the institutions he frequented.
Agnes was nicknamed 'The Duchess' by Savile. He famously never married or had a long-term romantic partner, instead describing his mother in a previously unpublished 2011 interview with the Sunday People as the "only true love" of his life, calling her "the only woman I ever loved".
Agnes was a devout Catholic who gave birth to seven children, the youngest of whom was Savile. He was born in Leeds in 1926.
In an article for The Guardian, author Dan Davies (portrayed by Mark Stanley in the BBC drama), who wrote In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile, said: "Agnes Savile exerted an extraordinary hold over her seventh and youngest child... he described himself as 'a not-again child', because he was unplanned and, very possibly, unloved.
"His mother's approval was of enormous significance to Savile, in life and, I believe, well beyond her death in 1972."
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As her son's career took off and his pockets deepened, Savile bought Agnes a flat in Scarborough, which he shared with her until she died, 16 years after he purchased the property.
In his interview with Louis Theroux for the BBC, he said he wouldn't bring women to the flat out of "respect" to his mother.
Savile spent five days with her body, which was housed in an open casket. He described that period as "the best five days" of his life (via The Independent).
"Once upon a time I had to share her with other people," he explained (via Channel 4 News). "We had marvellous times. When she was dead she was all mine, for me."
Agnes's bedroom was untouched following her death. Savile would also have her clothes dry-cleaned every year, telling Theroux that they were "much nicer than photographs".
He would also continue to greet her when he was at the flat.
"When I come in, I always go...When I'm coming through the door, I go, 'All right, darling?'... as I walk past the door," he said. "It's a friendly thing, it's not morbid."
In The Reckoning, Agnes is not only unimpressed by the direction her son's career initially takes – she approved of his knighthood and appearance on Songs of Praise – she's also troubled by him, confiding in a priest that she sees a "darkness" within her son.
"[Writer] Neil [McKay] discovered and worked into the script how complicated Savile's relationship with his mother was, and how she had grave doubts about him," said executive producer Jeff Pope.
"Over time, as Savile became so wealthy and successful, he swept her doubts away. Gemma [Jones] had to play that and I was actually nervous when I was watching it because had we not have had someone like Gemma, who had so much depth and nuance in her performance, that wouldn't have been pulled off and it would have damaged the piece."
Savile also acknowledged his mother's concerns to the Sunday People.
"My mother never got round to being proud," he said. "If anyone said, 'What is Jimmy like?' she would say, 'I don't know what he's up to, but he's up to something'.
"She never trusted me as she thought I was going to get nicked and end up in the pokey."
That, as we now know, did not happen.
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All four episodes of The Reckoning are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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