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Tuesday 8 December 2015

Yesterday's truth a BBC report 1972

The first I heard about about an official BBC investigation involving Top of the Pops in 1971, was a few years ago. This is all I found about it's contents back then.

Just last night I realised that it's actually been available since June 2013 according to this newspaper report. How did I miss this ?

I found the above only after I had stumbled across the report myself, or rather, a FOI request dated September 2014 

Strange that someone would request a copy of a report that was available 14 months before. It's been split into two parts 33 pages each and while it's heavily censored, it's a great read

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/230406/response/565513/attach/5/Disclosure%20Documents%20A1.pdf

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/230406/response/565513/attach/6/Disclosure%20Documents%20A2.pdf

It seems that the News of the world failed to supply the transcripts of the recordings made by the two hacks involved in the attempted sting. They formed part of a Police investigation that would end in a seven year jail sentence for a woman NOT an employee of the BBC.










The Beginning 


'Massive investigation' young girls 'in grave moral danger' Read on
 The three NOTW hacks are named as, Clive Cooke (called himself Arnold Carter) Trevor Kempson (Ken Travers) and Frank Freeman who bailed around July August 1970 because of ulcers apparently. It seemed they had help from a disgruntled ex-BBC employee 




'It is clear that some at least of the producers and disc jockeys were plied with drink'
And, they had 'received information 'other sources' including a record plugger and friend of Dorothy Squires'

Along with 
 
I was fairly taken aback when I saw the name Dorothy Squires. I had never heard of Mike Briton (I still don't know who he is) and as for Harry Goodwin ... keep going
Poor old Dorothy (Dot) her name keeps cropping up for some reason. She is later charged and acquited but we'll come back to this later.




Section 19





Note it's Tim Knight's parties he refers to at this point, not Janie Jones's shindigs. I have no idea who this knight chap is.

Next - Top of the Pops and that 'grave moral danger' I'm into the second part of the disclosure document now. The more interesting bit because it covers TOTP and Claire McAlpine





 Neil questioned Goodwin and it's clear he was not impressed. The screws wanted him sacked, he wasn't although he only remained until 1973.




He ends where I started, with recommendations for tightened security (see above 20.11)

I'll cover the Claire McAlpine section of Mr Neil's report next time when I'll be comparing what was (or should have been) known in 1972, with more recent versions of the story. Claims that NO ONE appears to have heard of until October 2012. Imagine that ? the most venomous Sunday newspaper ever, investigates the BBC for months and fails to expose Jimmy Savile.

Because, obviously no one had shown them this PRESS photograph of Jimmy onstage with Claire McAlpine .  

 Oh, and I haven't forgotten about Dan Davies's account of the story. Next time !

 






12 comments:

  1. Those NOTW hacks' names rang a bell:

    "In 1978 me, Trevor Kempson and Clive Cookee followed up a lead about a gang of paedophiles who were meeting in a conference hall in Holborn. During our investigations I photographed all these guys and Cooke committed and act of paedophilia with a 13 year old boy. Kempson later died of AIDS from a prostitute he fucked in the 'line of duty'. We were as bad as the people we were exposing. You will be amazed..."

    Good ol' Ian Cuttler, spilling the beans on his 'illustrious' career at the defunct rag:

    http://www.cameraassassin.co.uk

    Grave moral danger? Not 'arf!

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    Replies
    1. Blimey, I've uncovered some real gems so had to split it into parts. Another one should be up tomorrow. Thanks Bandini

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    2. Aw, hell, Bandini. It must have been you who persuaded me to read Cuttler's filth, some time ago. Thanks for reminding me. I shall never forgive you.

      These people...it's not surprising they believe everyone else is bent. They even seem to believe their own delusions.

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  2. I've been looking for this report since also learning about it for the first time only yesterday. A good find. The subject of exactly what the BBC knew/covered up about Jimmy Savile also features prominently on our blog.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you finally found what you've been 'looking for'. I guess we are free to interpret the contents any way we like. I'd like to know what you think the BBC 'covered up' ? Sounds a tad silly to me when you know that the press AND the Police were all over the BBC at the time. Maybe you should ask Rupert Murdoch what his crappy paper 'covered up' too ?

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  3. I'm not suggesting we should always believe him, though! It's hard trusting those who have spent their working lives making stuff up in pursuit of a tabloid headline... but to turn the tables somewhat, there's 'no smoke without fire', right?!?

    I'm sure things have changed now, and if we see an ex-NOTW journo's name on a tale - such as that of Exaggero's Toffington Hall multiple-graves horror story - we can be assured of its sound credentials & honest intent! Three cheers for the Fleet Street seekers of truth - hic, hic, who cares?!?

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    Replies
    1. Bah! That was a reply to Misa at 18:21.

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  4. Harry Goodwin appears to have left TOTP around the time Johnnie Stewart was replaced as Producer-in-Charge (Executive) by Robin Nash - that happened some time in 1973. Robin Nash was producer until the Musicians Union strike of Summer 1980, though he also took a break for 7 months in 1976 - when Johnnie Stewart returned. One of the shows produced by Stewart in 1976 was the now supposedly infamous 'She-Car-Go' 25/11/76.

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    Replies
    1. Cheers Chris, I 'll come back to Harry Goodwin in my, what happened next' section. It looks as though a hell of a lot resources were wasted back then, investigating a press sting that appears to have yielded next to nothing in terms of convictions.

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  5. Harry Goodwin came to SJS's funeral with a gift of a signed framed photo

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  6. Knight was an associate of the late agent Michael Summerton who handled a lot of big stars like Rod Stewart as well as Crossroad's Noel Gordon (she left her house & Rolls Royce to him). Summerton who was gay (not a pedo) was very good at manipulating producers etc and indulged in some payola but I remember him saying once "fuck that Jimmy Savile he's so high & fucking mighty he wont take anything. Bloody incorruptible it's so annoying

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  7. Dorothy Squires was mostly fanmous to me as the [much] older wife of the young "The Saint", Roger Moore. He divorced her quite acrimoniously later, which was quite a thing back then. I think she was very popular before my time though.

    Another early divorcee I recall was Christopher Trace who was forced off Blue Peter when he got divorced, because it was deemed inappropriate for a childrens presenter. Can this be the came BBC the idiotic journalists now write about as lecentious child molestor promoters?

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