Rolf Harris outed as Savile probe suspect

Harris, 83, was originally interviewed by detectives from Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree in November and was then arrested over the allegations on March 28.

Until today, the TV personality, who performed for the Queen at her Diamond Jubilee concert last year, had only been named online.

However The Sun named him today and other news outlets followed.

Harris, an enduring family favourite who was made a CBE in the 2006 Queen’s birthday honours, is one of 12 people arrested under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation prompted by allegations against Savile.

He was interviewed under caution on November 29 last year, five days after a search warrant was executed at his home in Berkshire.

The Australian-born entertainer was also appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list last year.

He was recognised for his service to the performing and visual arts, to charitable organisations and to international relations through the promotion of Australian culture.

His hits include Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Two Little Boys and Stairway to Heaven, and he also painted an official portrait of the Queen for her 80th birthday.

After his arrest in March, just days before his 83rd birthday, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “An 82-year-old man from Berkshire was arrested by officers on Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences.

“He has been bailed to a date in May pending further inquiries.

“The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed ‘others’.”

Reporters who rang the buzzer at Harris’s home in Bray, Berkshire, this morning were told “no comment” by a man who answered.

A short time later, a woman visitor who rang the buzzer and said “Hi Rolf” was allowed into the property.

Harris is among a number of high-profile figures from the entertainment industry who have been arrested as part of Operation Yewtree.

The investigation has been run in three strands: allegations against Savile, allegations involving Savile and others, and allegations involving others.

The claims against Harris are not linked to Savile. Scotland Yard has refused to reveal any details of the allegations against him.

A total of 12 people have been arrested so far under Yewtree, including former pop star Gary Glitter, DJ Dave Lee Travis, comedians Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson, and PR guru Max Clifford. All deny any wrongdoing.

After his arrest last December, Clifford said the allegations against him were “totally without any foundation and they are totally untrue”.

Travis and Davidson were both arrested and later re-arrested after further allegations were made. They have also maintained their innocence throughout.

Travis said that he strongly denied any wrongdoing, he had co-operated with the police and his “conscience is clear”.

Davidson’s solicitor Henri Brandman said the allegations against his client dated back several years, were made by complainants who were adults at the time and the comedian “vigorously denies” their claims.

Harris has been a household name for more than half a century. Millions of young people grew up to the sounds of his inimitable wobble board, didgeridoo and quirky singing style, while his catchphrase “Can you tell what is it yet?” became synonymous with his sketches that only became clear in the final strokes of his marker pen.

Harris’s global popularity saw him gain Top 10 hits across three continents and present an array of television shows around the world.

The pinnacle of his career as a painter came in 2005 when he was commissioned to paint an official portrait of the Queen to mark her 80th birthday.

Born in 1930 in Perth, Western Australia, Harris excelled as an athlete, winning national and state swimming championships in his teenage years.

But it was his passion for art that led him to board a boat at the age of 21 and head around the world to the UK in pursuit of his dream of becoming a painter.

In London - which Harris described as “the hub of the universe” - the Australian joined an art school, but after two years he dropped out and instead started drawing on children’s television programmes.

He married his wife, Alwen, in 1958, and after a brief return to Australian television the couple travelled back to England, where Harris ploughed on with his successful career in television and music.

His first hit, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, was released in 1960 and reached Number One in the Australian singles chart, Number Three in the US and Number Nine in the UK.

With 30 studio albums, 48 singles, two live albums and four compilation records, Harris’s musical output spanned six decades.

In 1961, Sun Arise reached Number Three in the UK, but his biggest triumph was Two Little Boys in 1969, which charted at Number One in the UK and Ireland, and Number Seven in his home country.

Harris has been on our screens presenting art and reality television shows for children and adults since the 1950s.

He made his name on programmes like the BBC’s Whirligig and Hi There And Hey Presto It’s Rolf, and his big television break came in 1967 when he began hosting his own BBC1 programme, The Rolf Harris Show, which was broadcast to 1974.

He presented Rolf Harris’s Cartoon Time on BBC1 in the 1980s and Rolf’s Cartoon Club on ITV between 1989-1993 before turning his attention to Animal Hospital, which he hosted from 1994 to 2004.

Harris, who has lived in Bray, Berkshire for more than 50 years, was awarded an MBE in 1968, an OBE in 1977 and a CBE in 2006.

He was made a Fellow of Bafta ( British Academy of Film and Television Arts) last year.