Classified documents being made public yesterday detail how now-disgraced BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile was comfortable at the heart of the British Government during his heyday in the 1980s.

He lunched with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at her country home, sent her jokey thank-you notes and sought tax breaks and contributions for his charity work.

The papers include a handwritten note from Savile to Thatcher in which he claimed his "girl patients" were pretending to be jealous because of the time he spent dining with the Prime Minister.

Only with hindsight does the note seem in dubious taste.

In recent months Savile - who died last year aged 84 - has been accused of being a serial abuser of hundreds of underage girls.

Investigators say he was one of the worst sex offenders in British history and said he used his TV stardom and charity commitments to help him gain access to vulnerable teens.

The platinum-haired, garishly-dressed Savile received a knighthood from Thatcher's Government and other honours.

The National Archives file detailing some of Savile's dealings with the Thatcher Government show not only his extraordinary access to the highest levels of government but also that cabinet ministers took his role as a charity advocate seriously.

The file includes an April 14, 1980, letter from Thatcher to Savile that begins with the greeting, "Dear Jimmy". In it she discusses plans to change tax rules to give "considerable encouragement" to charities.

The Savile letter to Thatcher is fawning: "I waited a week before writing to thank you for my lunch invitation because I had such a superb time I didn't want to be too effusive," he begins.

National Archives modern history expert Mark Dunton said the file showed Savile enjoyed an open line of communication, and seemingly friendly relations, with Thatcher and other top officials who seem "obviously oblivious" to any issues over his personal behaviour.

"Jimmy Savile with his fundraising had this sort of status as a hero, albeit an eccentric hero, for quite a long time," Dunton said.

Savile was trying to persuade the Prime Minister to reduce the time required before a charity could receive tax exempt status, and also lobbying her for a Government contribution to one of his favourite projects - the rebuilding of a spinal injuries unit at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

- AP

By Gregory Katz