U.K. Comedian Jim Davidson Arrested in Jimmy Savile Police Probe (Report)

British comedian Jim Davidson, a former game show host who was the face of the BBC's Saturday night programming in the 1990s, has been arrested as part of the London police probe into alleged sexual offenses by Jimmy Savile and others, the Guardian reported Thursday.

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It said that the 59-year-old was detained on suspicions of sexual offenses Wednesday afternoon. His arrest brings the total number of arrests in the Savile-related investigations to nine.

The comedian "vigorously denies" allegations by two women, his lawyer said in a statement. The Guardian said they were in their mid 20s when the alleged offenses occurred. "Jim vigorously denies the allegations," it quoted the lawyer as saying. "He answered police questions as fully as he was able after this passage of time."

Davidson, who has not been charged, is known for his work on such shows as The Generation Game and Big Break.

The Guardian said that he was rumored to be a contestant on the latest season of Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother, whose lineup is expected to be announced late Thursday. A spokesman for Channel 5 didn't comment on whether Davidson was picked to appear on the show.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said Davidson's arrest followed that of another unnamed man. Both arrests are part of the probe into "others," meaning that their alleged offenses do not directly involve Savile.

Other known entertainment industry figures previously arrested and bailed in the probe include former pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr and PR man Max Clifford.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai