Jim'll Fix It
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012) |
| Jim'll Fix It | |
|---|---|
 1986 series titles | |
| Created by | Roger Ordish Jimmy Savile |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series |
|
| No. of episodes | 286 |
| Production | |
| Production location | BBC Television Centre |
| Running time | 35 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 31 May 1975 – 24 July 1994 |
Jim'll Fix It is a British television series broadcast by the BBC between May 1975 and July 1994 and was devised and presented by Jimmy Savile and produced by Roger Ordish. The show encouraged children to write in a letter to Savile with a "wish" that would come true at the end of each episode, upon which the child would be granted a medal. Notable celebrity guests appearing on the show include Muhammad Ali, Tom Baker, and Peter Cushing.
Jim'll Fix It was briefly revived in 2007 as Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again and later had a television special air in 2011.
Shortly after Savile's death in 2011, allegations of child sex abuse against Savile arose relating to the television series.
Format
The show was hosted by Savile, who would "fix it" for the wishes of several viewers (usually children) to come true each week. The producer throughout the show's run was Roger Ordish, always referred to by Savile as "Doctor Magic". The standard format was that the viewer's letter, which described their wish, would be shown on the screen and read out aloud, initially by Savile, but in later series by the viewers themselves as a voice-over. Savile would then introduce the Fix, which would either have been pre-filmed on location or take place "live" in the studio. At the end, the viewer would join Savile to be congratulated and presented with a large medal with the words "Jim Fixed It For Me" engraved on it. Occasionally, other people featured in the "Fix It" (actors from well known series, for example), might also give the viewer an extra gift somehow relating to the Fix. Savile himself played no part in the filming or recording of the "fix-its", unless specifically requested as part of the letter writer's wish. Some children apparently thought that Savile's first name was "Jim'll", so some letters shown on the programme started "Dear Jim'll".
Early series saw Savile distributing medals from a "magic chair" which concealed the medals in a variety of compartments. The "magic chair" was invented by Tony Novissimo and was built for the BBC by him at his workshops in Shepherd's Bush. The chair had first appeared on Savile's earlier Saturday night TV series, Clunk, Click. The chair was later replaced by a new computer-controlled robotic "magic chair", the brainchild of Kevin Warwick, built for the BBC by his team at the University of Reading. The arm for the chair was an RTX robotic arm,[1] designed by Roy Levell at Universal Machine Intelligence in Wandsworth around 1985.[1]
Internally, the BBC were concerned that the show was providing excessive product placement for corporations. Eighteen years after the show ceased airing, allegations of child sex abuse were made against Savile (who by then had died), including claims that special episodes of Jim'll Fix It were devised by Savile in order to gain access to victims.[2]
Notable "Fix-its"
In 1976 Muhammad Ali appeared in a fix.
The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, appeared in the second episode, where he tore off and handed away the frayed ends of his scarf to girls visiting the studio. Ten years later, a young Doctor Who fan, Gareth Jenkins, was able to take part in a short adventure titled A Fix with Sontarans with Colin Baker and Janet Fielding.
Veteran actor Peter Cushing wrote to the show in 1986 to ask if a variety of rose could be named after his late wife; the 'Helen Cushing Rose' was the result.
In the 1980s a young boy called Dom Lawson, who now works for Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines, got his wish to be Iron Maiden's tech for the day and meet the band. The incident was described in Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life and Death tour book, where Dom Lawson speaks about Iron Maiden and his history on the band.[3][4]
2007 revival (Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again)
This new series saw the return of Savile and began on 5 April 2007 on UKTV Gold, and was titled Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again. The series showed classic moments from the original shows, and attempted to 're-fix' it for some of the original participants.
2011 special
The BBC announced on 14 November 2011, following Savile's death, that the show would return for a one-time Christmas special on 26 December 2011, featuring Shane Richie as the programme's host. Only letters for 'fix-its' from children under 14 were eligible for the revived format.[5] Lewis Hamilton guest-starred in this episode, as well as Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh.
Theme song
The theme song was sung by voice-over artist Lynda Hayes.[6] The closing theme was sung by the group Good Looks (featuring Lavinia & Lewis Rodgers, siblings of Clodagh Rodgers) who competed in the 1982 A Song for Europe competition. Savile "fixed it" for a young viewer to perform the song with the group on an edition of the show.
Sexual abuse scandal
Claims surfaced in 2012 that Savile sexually abused some of the children who took part in Jim'll Fix It.[7][8] Ordish said: "I didn't see anything and nothing was reported to me", but added that he knew Savile had a "predilection for younger females".[9]
Transmission guide
| Series | No. of editions | Aired |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 31 May 1975 – 16 August 1975 |
| 2 | 7 | 21 February 1976 – 10 April 1976 |
| 3 | 8 | 1 January 1977 – 19 February 1977 |
| 4 | 11 | 7 January 1978 – 18 March 1978 |
| 5 | 12 | 30 December 1978 – 17 March 1979 |
| 6 | 12 | 29 December 1979 – 15 March 1980 |
| 7 | 13 | 26 December 1980 – 28 March 1981 |
| 8 | 13 | 2 January 1982 – 27 March 1982 |
| 9 | 14 | 25 December 1982 – 26 March 1983 |
| 10 | 14 | 25 December 1983 – 24 March 1984 |
| 11 | 13 | 29 December 1984 – 23 March 1985 |
| 12 | 13 | 11 January 1986 – 5 April 1986 |
| 13 | 13 | 3 January 1987 – 28 March 1987 |
| 14 | 13 | 2 January 1988 – 26 March 1988 |
| 15 | 13 | 7 January 1989 – 1 April 1989 |
| 16 | 13 | 6 January 1990 – 31 March 1990 |
| 17 | 13 | 19 January 1991 – 13 April 1991 |
| 18 | 13 | 4 April 1992 – 4 July 1992 |
| 19 | 13 | 10 April 1993 – 17 July 1993 |
| 20 | 13 | 2 April 1994 – 24 July 1994 |
Series |
No. of editions |
Aired
|
|---|---|---|
| Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again | 6 | 5 April 2007 – 10 May 2007 |
Specials
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1975 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 22 May 1976 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 28 August 1976 |
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1976 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 4 June 1977 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 29 August 1977 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1977 |
| New Year Special | 31 December 1977 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 27 May 1978 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 28 August 1978 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1978 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 28 May 1979 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 27 August 1979 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1979 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 26 May 1980 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 25 August 1980 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 25 May 1981 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 31 August 1981 |
| Christmas Special | 25 December 1981 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 31 May 1982 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 30 August 1982 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 30 May 1983 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 29 August 1983 |
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1984 |
| 10th Birthday Special | 27 May 1985 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 26 August 1985 |
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1985 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 25 August 1986 |
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1986 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 25 May 1987 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 30 August 1987 |
| Christmas Special | 24 December 1987 |
| Bank Holiday Special | 28 May 1988 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1988 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1989 |
| Sir Jim'll Fix It Special | 8 July 1990 |
| Christmas Special | 26 December 1990 |
| Christmas Special | 28 December 1991 |
| Christmas Special | 28 December 1992 |
| Christmas Special | 27 December 1993 |
| 20 Years of Jim'll Fix It Special | 2 January 1995 |
| Jim Fixed It For Me | 31 December 2000 |
| Jim'll Fix It with Shane Richie | 26 December 2011 |
Compilations
- Series 2 Compilation: 17 April 1976
- Series 3 Compilation: 26 February 1977
- Series 4 Compilation: 25 March 1978
- Series 5 Compilation: 24 March 1979
- Series 6 Compilation: 22 March 1980
- Children in Need Compilation: 23 November 1984
- Series 13 Compilation: 27 August 1988
- Series 14 Compilation: 28 August 1989
- Series 15 Compilation: 25 August 1990
- Series 16 Compilation: 24 August 1991
- Series 17 Compilation: 29 August 1992
- Series 18 Compilation: 5 September 1993
References
- ^ a b "Inside the UMI RTX Robot Arm" (PDF). Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ Marsden, Sam (13 November 2012). "Jimmy Savile 'Engineered' His TV Shows to Abuse children". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Metal Hammer Iron Maiden – Jim'll Fix It – Dom Lawson Music Video on". Muzu.tv. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Jim Fixed It For Iron Maiden And Me The Guardian, 2 November 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2012
- ^ "Jim'll Fix It returns to BBC One for Christmas special". BBC. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Chris Evans Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2, broadcast 9 March 2011
- ^ O'Mahoney, Jennifer (12 October 2012). "Jimmy Savile: BBC did nothing when director caught him in the act". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ "Jimmy Savile scandal: Alleged victims' stories". BBC News. London, England: BBC. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ "Savile producer: "I knew nothing"". ITV News. London England: ITV. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.