ITV is to examine the truth behind disgraced former TV star Rolf Harris’ abusive crimes in a two-part documentary series from All3Media-backed indie Optomen.
Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight (w/t) will speak to his victims, the police who investigated him and colleagues who worked alongside him to tell the story of the rise and fall of a TV star who came across as a non-threatening eccentric with a devoted wife.
Following the Jimmy Savile scandal, the former Animal Hospital presenter and multi-hyphenate was investigated for abusing his daughter’s friend when she was 13, and accusers then emerged stating that he molested them on the shows he worked on for years.
ITV’s films will explore Harris’ remorseless attitude in court and his wife and daughter’s decision to stand by him. He served a three year sentence in the UK and was released in 2017.
The commission comes shortly after Netflix’s Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, which similarly explored how the notorious TV star was able to get away with his crimes for decades.
“There are few stories as shocking as Rolf Harris,” said ITV commissioner Kate Teckman. “These films give a voice to Harris’ accusers, and will reveal just how the seemingly wholesome ‘national treasure’ was able to molest and abuse his victims in plain sight.”
Executive Producers for Optomen are Tina Flintoff and Nick Hornby.
