That changed recently as hundreds of women came forward claiming to have been sexually abused by Savile when they were in their teens, some within BBC studios. He is now believed to have been one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. As the scandal grows, the BBC is in crisis mode, desperately trying to explain how Savile was able to get away with such acts, particularly given the widespread rumours of his activities.

This interview was conducted by Theroux in 2000 as part of his When Louis Met ... series, in which he would accompany celebrities as they went about their lives. It was voted as one of 50 of the best documentaries of all time in a British survey but that's rather too generous, based more on Savile's profile, one suspects, than Theroux's documentary-making.

Adopting his familiar bumbling-innocent routine, Theroux visits Savile in his flat in Leeds, another flat he maintains as a creepy shrine to his late mother, and follows him from one dismal engagement to the next. Savile is combative and evasive, while Theroux alternates between wry amusement to mild petulance, struggling to establish rapport. He does, however, raise the rumours of paedophilia, which Savile unsurprisingly denies.

What makes this documentary interesting is how everything we see and hear is coloured by what we now know about Savile. His appearance - the awful bleached mullet, tracksuit pants and ubiquitous cigar - might have seemed eccentric but now looks desperately seedy. His dismissive comments about relationships, his fixation with his mother and his unsatisfactory response to the paedophile accusations take on a sinister hue.

This is not Theroux at his best but it does provide a fascinating glimpse behind the facade of an intensely guarded and - we now know - profoundly damaged man.

When Louis Met Jimmy, ABC2, 8.30pm