The Jimmy Savile Child Abuse Enquiry: £5 Million Well Spent By The BBC?

When the news of former television presenter Jimmy Savile's sordid past was brought to light last year the world shrieked in horror at the appalling allegations brought forward against the once beloved philanthropist and TV personality. The company who hired Savile for the majority of his career, the tax-payer-funded BBC, have released information into their own enquiries into the allegations, revealing that they spent over £5 million in tax-payer's money on their own investigations, a sum that some have questioned for being irresponsible spending.

The corporation spent £2.8m on the Newsnight investigation that looked to shed light on Savile's deprived lifewhen the allegations first surfaced, eventually shelving their investigation and never airing their finding on the late-night news show. The BBC went on to spend an extra £2.5m on further investigations, bringing the total to £5.3m. With the shelved Pollard investigation costing upwards of £80,000, £185,000 in damages being paid after false child abuse allegations were made against Lord McAlpine and some eye-watering six-figure sums being handed out to senior BBC officials throughout the investigation - figures that may be displeasing to some - the BBC has been forced to re-evaluate it's spending.

With the publication of the spending now available to the public, BBC director general Tony Hall has since pledged to bring an end to the bureaucratic and regulatory practices used at the corporation, saying these unnecessary expenses are "inhibiting its [the BBC's] creativity". Hall also pledged to take personal charge of a new review that will aim to "simplify our organisation" following the failed Pollard review into the case, highlighting a need for cultural change at the corporation to prevent further mis-spending. Hall did not mention how much this review would cost the tax payer.

The corporation, which also announced plans to launch five new HD channels in the near future this week, will begin the review in the near future, although Hall didn't specify when exactly.

The revelations into Savile's life sent shockwaves across the globe