Paul O'Grady has spoken out about the current wave of famous faces being arrested over sex claims, saying the operation has become a 'celebrity circus'.
The 57-year-old Lily Savage star told The Sun that the accusations against veteran stars such as Jimmy Tarbuck, Freddie Starr and Rolf Harris were destroying their reputations.
Paul O'Grady
He told the newspaper: “The real villains are getting away with murder. Half of them I don’t believe — Rolf Harris for one. Who else are they going to destroy from my childhood? Andy Pandy? Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men?”
And the TV presenter also believes the accused should not be named by police.
“Whatever happened to being innocent until found guilty?" he said. "It’s destroying their reputations.”
O'Grady has previously spoken about the child abuse allegations about former BBC star Jimmy Savile.
In an interview with The Independent last year, he said: "When I worked in a children's home in West Kirby in the 1970s, Jimmy Savile came to visit. One of the housemothers was told not to let him unsupervised on the girls unit.
"At the time we thought it was because he didn't want to be on his own with the kids – that he wanted a member of staff to talk to. We had no idea. We were so naïve. I wouldn't have even known what a paedophile was."