BBC to release Jimmy Savile investigation documents

Thousands of pages of evidence gathered during an inquiry into Newsnight’s decision to drop its Jimmy Savile investigation are set to published today, the BBC has reported.

The Pollard Review concluded in December that the decision by the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme to shelve its probe into sexual abuse claims against the television star was “seriously flawed”.

The 3,000 pages of emails, interviews and submissions from BBC executives and journalists, including Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, are expected to be released online.

However some details from the inquiry, headed by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard, will not be released to the public.

The review was set up by the BBC last year to investigate if management failings were behind the decision to cancel the six week investigation into the child sex claims against Savile in December 2011, weeks before a Christmas tribute was broadcast.

A separate Newsnight investigation last summer led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse.