ITV has said it stands by a documentary which claims that late broadcaster and DJ Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused schoolgirls after a member of his family said they are "disgusted and disappointed" by the allegations.
Exposure: The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile, which airs later this week, details claims from women dating to the 1970s, including allegations that he abused girls in his Rolls-Royce and at BBC TV Centre.
Roger Foster, Sir Jimmy's nephew, said his family is "disgusted and disappointed" that the allegations are being made when the presenter, who died on October 29 last year aged 84, is no longer around to defend himself.
An ITV spokesman said: "This documentary is the result of an in-depth investigation into long-standing allegations of serious and widespread sexual misconduct by Sir Jimmy Savile. Because of the very serious nature of the claims made by several interviewees in relation to this, particular care and consideration was of course given to the decision to produce and broadcast this programme. The programme takes full account of the fact that Sir Jimmy is not here to defend himself against these claims."
Mr Foster, from Goole, East Yorkshire, said he is not only concerned for Sir Jimmy's reputation and legacy but also for the damage the allegations could do to his charities.
Sir Jimmy was famous for TV shows such as Jim'll Fix It and Top Of The Pops as well as being a DJ on BBC Radio 1.
ITV said the programme, presented by former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, features contributions from several women who claim that Sir Jimmy was a sexual predator who sexually assaulted them while they were under-age.
One woman alleges that she was raped by the DJ and another says she was asked to perform a sex act on him. ITV said one of the contributors explained how she was too frightened to speak out while Sir Jimmy was alive. They said the programme will allege that the broadcaster preyed on teenagers whom he invited to appear on his TV shows.
ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen, who worked for the BBC during the 1970s, told the programme that she now believes Sir Jimmy sexually abused under-age girls, after seeing the fresh evidence from their interviews. We all blocked our ears to the gossip," she said.
"We made him into the Jimmy Savile who was untouchable, who nobody could criticise. Jim'll Fix It was for children. He was a sort of God-like figure. Everybody knew of the good that Jimmy did and what he did for children. And these children were powerless," she said.
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