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SAM'S STORY

Who is Sam Brown and how did she meet Jimmy Savile?

A BBC drama will examine the impact Jimmy Savile's appalling crimes had on his victims.

Speaking ahead of the programme, a victim of Jimmy Savile's horrific abuse, Sam Brown, has shared what it was like being involved in making the BBC show - The Reckoning.

Mum-of-four Sam Brown pictured ahead of BBC's The Reckoning
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Mum-of-four Sam Brown pictured ahead of BBC's The ReckoningCredit: Darren Fletcher

Who is Sam Brown and when did she meet Jimmy Savile?

Mum of-four Sam Brown was just 11 when she was abused by Jimmy Savile at a chapel at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

It was there the disgraced presenter is thought to have preyed on at least 60 victims over the course of two decades.

What has Sam Brown said about Jimmy Savile?

Sam Brown has shared what it was like being involved in making of the BBC factual drama The Reckoning - which documents the life and scandal of Savile.

Sharing what it was like when she first saw actor Steve Coogan as Savile on set, Sam told The Sun: ''I felt that fear of Savile again.

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''Steve walked up to me and I thought I was saying ‘stand back, stand back, stand back’ in my head, but my husband Jim said I’d voiced it out loud.

''I heard Steve say ‘I’m not him, I’m dressed up’ and he apologised.  It felt so intense for that moment."

Discussing the period in her life when she met Savile, Sam said: '' I knew what he was the minute I first saw him.

''I had been abused for years by my grandfather, a policeman, so recognised what Savile was.

''He knew who I was too. I was vulnerable. I was an easy pick really.''

When Sam was tasked with fetching the collection plate from the presbytery each week she felt sick in the pit of her stomach.

Savile wasted no time in indulging his sick perversions, says Sam.

“He started by giving me a touch of the hand or the shoulder as I reached out for the plate or he’d touch my face or my back. He was testing me and I’d freeze.

''It only took him a couple of weeks to realise I was a quiet, frightened girl and that’s when he started putting all five of his fingers in my mouth as he touched me. I would be gagging but he didn’t stop.

''He silenced me so he could do what he wanted.''

Chillingly, Savile would leave the door to the room ajar in a move Sam believes gave him a thrill.

“I’d be in there for about five minutes to one side of the door and he'd put his fingers in my mouth and I’d be praying for the priest to stop talking so I could go outside with the plate.

“I could see the priest give his sermon, I could see the back of my mum’s head. Savile knew that.

“It was such a busy chapel. Every pew would be full and  people were there on their hospital beds.  

''I wanted someone to see, I wanted someone to see me. But they never did.''

Sam also told of how she was even able to watch the BBC presenter on Jim’ll Fix It.

''I used to watch the show every week without that connection but then detachment is a strange thing. Somehow I didn’t associate the two things,'' she said.

What is the BBC show The Reckoning?

As mentioned above, The Reckoning traces the life of Jimmy Savile - who after his death became one of the most reviled figures in modern history following revelations of extensive and horrific abuse.

Ahead of the drama, Sam shared that she has no regrets about being one of four Savile victims who give their real-life testimony before each episode.

Sam says the show has been “cathartic” for her, despite being hit hard by the scenes in which her young self appears.

“My heart broke for the little girl that was me,” she says.

“I'd always had trouble accepting that I was that little girl and seeing it play out in that way helped me accept that it was actually me.”

Sam has told of how realises that some victims will be horrified by the drama but believes it has been handled sensitively.

She says: “It’s hard because it will evoke emotions in a lot of people, not just those abused by Savile but those who are sitting at home on the sofa watching who may or may not have spoken out.

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“For me, I want other people to realise that you can get through it. Just look at me. I’m alive.”

The Reckoning begins tonight on BBC1 at 9pm.

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