The original child stars of the BBC's beloved 1988 adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia have revealed they were explicitly warned about the predatory behaviour of Jimmy Savile while filming at the corporation's television centre.
A Dark Presence in the Next Studio
In a candid new interview with The Times, the cast members, who have reunited for a two-hour documentary titled Return to Narnia, shared their experiences of sudden fame and the unsettling environment at the BBC. Sophie Cook, who was just 13 years old when she began playing Susan Pevensie, recounted the specific moment the crew protected them.
"It was a very strange time," Cook stated. "I don't know if anyone's told you the story of Jimmy Savile being in the next studio when we were filming in TV Centre? And one of the floor managers came up to us and said, 'Don't go near him, he's a kiddie fiddler.'"
Cook reflected on the cultural atmosphere of the era, suggesting this knowledge was an open secret. "It was just known... I think that was just culturally accepted. This level of knowledge of stuff going on, you know, of a darkness, only just a studio away."
The Legacy of a Predator and the BBC's Response
Jimmy Savile, a disgraced entertainer, used his prominent celebrity status to sexually abuse hundreds of children and women over six decades. Although allegations surfaced in the 1980s, a full police inquiry was not launched until 2012, a year after his death.
In response to Cook's claim, the BBC provided a statement referencing the Dame Janet Smith review, an independent inquiry commissioned by the corporation and published in 2016. "We accepted the conclusions and recommendations in full and since then have implemented a number of changes to help prevent anything like this happening again," a spokesperson said.
Life After Narnia: Scrutiny and Fat-Shaming
Beyond the shadow of Savile, the cast also spoke about the intense public scrutiny they faced as child actors. They recalled being pointed at in restaurants and followed after the show aired in 1988.
Sophie Wilcox, who played Lucy, revealed the hurtful impact of negative press reviews. She remembered the press saying she was "'bursting out of my cardigan' or something like that. Literally fat-shaming. And I was a chubby child." Despite these challenges, the actors affirmed they felt looked after by the show's production team.
The Return to Narnia documentary is part of a remastered Blu-ray boxset of The Chronicles of Narnia, released on 24 November.
