Gary Glitter: The Popstar Paedophile | Preview (ITV1)

This one-off feature documentary explores the dark double life of Gary Glitter - whose real name is Paul Gadd - who was viewed as an iconic performer in his heyday yet was later exposed as a predatory child abuser.

Documenting his crimes committed both in the UK and across the globe, this new film weaves historical victim testimony, archive and interviews including those who met Glitter on the showbiz circuit as well as lawyers involved in both the prosecution and defence of Glitter during different trials across the decades.

The programme looks into how Glitter used his charismatic onstage persona to cover up his predatory offstage behaviour, meaning that he was only brought to justice decades after lighting up the charts with a slew of catchy hits.

Four years after one of his victims spoke out in 1993 to the News of the World, Glitter was arrested for possessing child pornography and later faced charges of sexually assaulting children.

After serving a brief jail term for the counts related to child pornography - he was not convicted of any child sexual abuse charges - he fled to Cambodia and then Vietnam, where he was later convicted of committing sexual assaults on children.

Returning to the UK after serving nearly three years in a Vietnamese jail, he would face a further trial for assaulting three children after being the first person to be arrested under Operation Yewtree in 2012.

In 2023, just weeks after his release having served half of a 16-year sentence for those crimes, Glitter was returned to prison for violating the conditions of his licence - this programme asks why victims were largely ignored when they first came forward and reflects on the collective responsibility of those who may have been aware of Glitter’s actions.

The documentary airs Tuesday 23rd April at 9pm on ITV1.