Of Jimmy Saville and the Main Point

In the early 80s I could never understand how it was that Jimmy Savile was on the radio. He was a dreadful DJ. He used to go on and on about points the listener could win if they guessed the exact title of a record which usually involved some words in the title in parenthesis. The in-between-the-records chat often involved him telling you a story that seemed little more than his chance to tell you how many rock stars he knew and had shared a memorable time with. These often went on and on too. At least with Tony Blackburn you got a few offensive jokes but a whole lot of good music in between.
I began to think that the only reason he was still on the radio and T.V was because no-one had the courage to get rid of him due to all the great charity work he was doing. He was constantly in the press or featured in the news running the London Marathon and raising yet another million for Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Who would dare stick their neck out and sack one so revered?
For me the Jimmy Savile issue is just a reminder that the appalling British obsession with celebrity was with us as early as the 70s and doing damage in ways that we're beginning to understand only now.
We need proper role models to look up to. We all know who Stacey is, Chantelle, Jordan but how many can remember the name of the British paraolympic swimmer who has won several gold medals the most recent of which just a few months ago in London?