Almost everyone was taken aback when Graham Norton hosted the British Television Awards on Sunday, making jokes about Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville.
As the star-studded event commenced at the Royal Festival Hall, the 50-year-old humorously remarked that he should expedite the proceedings before any celebrities faced detention, following recent arrests stemming from the Jimmy Saville sex abuse scandal.
In light of revelations about Jimmy being a serial predator to underage children, multiple stars, including Rolf Harris, have been arrested on sexual allegations.
As he took the stage to open the ceremony, Graham stated: ‘We better crack on before some of our celebrities get unavoidably detained.’
Prior to this, he had urged the audience not to applaud during the ‘in remembrance’ segment of the show, highlighting that Saville was among those referenced last year after his passing in October 2011, before the disclosures regarding his sexual conduct emerged.
Graham also noted that Rolf, last year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, had recently been apprehended due to historical allegations of sexual offences.
He humorously added: ‘What a night it was…’
by Lorelle Heath
