By Updesh Kapur/Doha
Has the great British love affair with celebrities of yesteryear taken a bit of a U-turn?
Newspaper tabloids remain obsessed with the private lives of the rich and famous, eager to be the first to break a scandal.
In recent years, tabloid mania covering celebrity wrongdoings has shattered the careers of politicians, TV stars and pop singers. Fall from grace, from the heights of success to the depths of shame.
Some of those in the spotlight whose successful careers have been carved by their charm on young and old have been thrust into the public domain for reasons beyond imagination.
We’re not talking about torrid affairs here which break long-standing relationships and make impulse reading, but jaw-dropping sexual abuse cases which have thrown deserved humiliation on those who have lovingly and amusingly entertained the masses for decades.
British “telly” has been dominated by children’s TV shows and family entertainment programmes supplemented by popular radio.
As a Brit Asian brought up in a culture where the relationship between early evening TV specials and the watching audience was a hugely strong bond, one can only feel a sense of shock and dismay seeing familiar faces bringing disgrace to their persona.
Their public facade disguising the truth and careers built up entertaining millions ruined by their own misdemeanors. Hard to decipher but there is now a sense of expectation that any celebrity can be under scrutiny following a strong of high-profile cases over the past few years.
The latest was last week when the iconic British singer Sir Cliff Richard was splashed all over the British tabloids for reasons that now cloud decades of music that have entertained his legion of fans around the world.
Police secured a search warrant to enter his Berkshire home after claims of alleged abuse against a teenage boy in South Yorkshire back in the 1980s.
In a statement, the 73-year-old said he was aware of allegations against him that had been circulating online, but denied any wrongdoing claiming the finger pointing was completely false.
Regardless of the outcome, has the damage been done for one of Britain’s most successful recording artists, who will forever be tainted with images and stories of the allegations making headline news?
Human nature is such that anyone in the public spotlight who has been the subject of allegations, whether true or false, will be seen as “he is the one who….” or “how could he…”.
Is this the price celebrities pay for fame and fortune?
It is an ongoing argument that celebrities in whichever sphere – sports or entertainment – have to bear the brunt of negative publicity as so often they thrive on being in the limelight to earn column inches in newspapers and magazines.
Digging up the past at the height of their fame or at the brink of hitting stardom is something they won’t want reliving.
But as Britain has witnessed, the last three years have unearthed celebrity cases that have left many questioning how have they been able to get away with it and why are these surfacing now after years behind closed doors.
It was the case of the former television personality Jimmy Savile that opened the floodgates for scores of victims to come forward with claims of sexual abuse by the armchair children’s television host.
A TV documentary revealed “The Other Side of Jimmy Savile” who abused his high profile position as a television celebrity to lure young women and boys, sexually abusing them on BBC premises and in hospitals which he often visited as an ardent charity worker.
A well-known patron of Stoke Mandeville Hospital for children, he was also found to have abused some of his victims at the hospice.
Following a police probe estimated to have cost over £2mn ($3mn), Savile was labelled as a predatory sex offender and Britain’s most prolific paedophile linking him to as many as 450 sexual incidents.
Operation Yewtree, the investigation launched by Britain’s Metropolitan Police Force into the historic allegations by Savile revealed 450 alleged victims of abuse had come forward in the inquiry.
Unfortunately, the hungry media pack and eager followers of the case will not see him come to trial as the allegations surfaced a year after his death.
Operation Yewtree grew much bigger than the Savile case, a major criminal investigation of unprecedented levels which proved to be a watershed moment in British child abuse scrutiny.
It was to be the launch pad for investigations into sexual abuse claims against other personalities.
The probe into Sir Cliff Richard is said not to be conducted under the wings of Operation Yewtree, but in the eyes of the British public, “Operation Yewtree” is synonymous with all celebrity investigations.
Controversial celebrity publicist Max Clifford is serving eight years in prison following his summer conviction of indecent assault against girls and young women between 1965 and 1985.
Former Radio One DJ and television personality Dave Lee Travis faces a retrial next month on two counts of sexual assault after being found not guilty earlier this year of a dozen historical sex offences.
Former glam rock star Gary Glitter, a convicted sex offender, awaits trial after being charged with eight child sex offences dating back to his heyday in the 1970s.
TV comedian Freddie Starr was released without charge after his arrest for incidents involving sexual abuse. The case took its toll on the star, left disillusioned by the false allegations.
Household name Jimmy Tarbuck was arrested after a claim he abused a young boy in the 1970s. He was released without charge earlier this year.
Former Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences and is awaiting trial for a further 12 counts.
British broadcaster Stuart Hall, in his mid 80s, was imprisoned last year after being convicted of rape and indecent assault.
But the most recent high-profile case involves Rolf Harris, an Australian musician, singer and television personality who has spent decades living and entertaining in Britain.
In June, the 83-year-old was jailed for five years and nine months after a crown court jury in south London found him guilty of more than a dozen offences relating to the sexual abuse of minors, including young girls and teenage females.
In the trial, the prosecution said Harris was “too famous, too powerful and his reputation made him untouchable”.
The words sum up the general atmosphere surrounding celebrities who can no longer hide behind a veil of conceit and superiority.
But many have tarnished Operation Yewtree as a witch hunt against celebrities, demanding tougher laws to prevent false allegations.
In many cases, celebrities inevitably face media scrutiny whether they are charged or not following a police investigation.
One thing’s for sure. Celebrities no longer enjoy immunity from historical wrongdoings which will inevitably catch up with them regardless of when the criminal acts were committed.
- Updesh Kapur is an aviation, travel and social writer. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur.
