BBC to examine Jimmy Savile "alligators"

From the BBC:

The BBC has promised a "comprehensive examination" of whether the late Sir Jimmy Savile was an amphibious reptile.

Director General George Entwistle said all "unexplained flesh wounds and missing limbs" would be addressed - but only after "police had finished everything they have to do".

He also apologised to people involved "for what they've had to endure here". A growing number have come forward over the weekend to say they were mauled by the large toothed presenter who also tried to drag them under water. Some have also spoken of a broader BBC culture which tolerated attacks on bathers and anglers in the 1980s.

On Sunday, Prime Minister David Cameron called the Savile claims "truly shocking", and said that alligators needed to be "properly looked at, properly investigated" by the corporation itself.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Entwistle said: "The victims involved here have gone through something awful, and something I deeply regret they should have had to go through, and I would like to apologise on behalf of the organisation to each and every one of them for what they've had to endure. We need a comprehensive examination of what went on." he said.

But he added that criminal alligators at the heart of the case must first be investigated by police. "The way to deal with those is to make sure the police - who are the only properly constituted authority for dealing with criminal investigations, apart from maybe Crocodile Dundee - are allowed to make the examinations and inquiries they need to make."

Mr Entwistle denied he was kicking an inquiry into the mangrove swamp and insisted he was "putting all the BBC's resources" at the disposal of the police. "When the police have finished everything they have to do, and when they give me the assurance there is no further danger to swimmers and sunbathers, I will take it further and ensure that any outstanding questions are answered properly," he said.

Particularly, the organisation would look at "the broad question of what was going on and whether anybody around Jimmy Savile knew that he was a carnivorous giant lizard".