Actor Alistair McGowan has admitted he had misgivings before agreeing to play Jimmy Savile in a new play.
Written by journalist Jonathan Maitland, An Audience with Jimmy Savile focuses on the decades of abuse carried out by the late presenter and how he managed to cover up his crimes.
McGowan told the BBC's Andrew Marr he had had "third, fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts" about doing the play.
But a lot of abuse victims thought the play was 30 years too late, he added.
Since his death in 2011, it has emerged that Savile was one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators.
Once a beloved TV entertainer who raised £40m for charity, he is thought to have exploited his status to prey on hundreds of people in television dressing rooms, hospitals, schools and children's homes.
The play's synopsis, describes how Savile "groomed the nation".
When asked by Marr if he had had second thoughts about the role, McGowan answered: "Third, fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts, yes".
He described the play as "very controversial", adding: "Its a very strange experience letting this person speak through me."
However, he continued: "A lot of people have said, 'Is it too early to do this play?,' but if you talk to the victims, a lot of them say it's thirty years too late."
McGowan said he was just one of the millions of British TV viewers who was duped by the disgraced star.
"I was so duped by him that, just after he died, BBC North wanted me to do a tribute show about him because I'd done an impression of him on my show. They asked me to talk about him and his voice and how much affection he was held in and I did it.
"So subsequently, I feel very pleased to be able to redress that [with the play].
An Audience with Jimmy Savile opens on 10 June at the Park Theatre in London, yet no images of McGowan in character have been released to the press.
Writer Maitland said that was a deliberate move as "it's very distressing for victims and survivors and other people to see images of him".
He continued: "When a story about Savile is on the news, you have to [show pictures] but I thought if people are paying to see a play where Savile is a character that's fine, you can have someone portraying him but we don't want to cause people unnecessary offence by having an actor dressed up as him."
Actor Alistair McGowan has admitted he had misgivings before agreeing to play Jimmy Savile in a new play.
Written by journalist Jonathan Maitland, An Audience with Jimmy Savile focuses on the decades of abuse carried out by the late presenter and how he managed to cover up his crimes.
McGowan told the BBC's Andrew Marr he had had "third, fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts" about doing the play.
But a lot of abuse victims thought the play was 30 years too late, he added.
Since his death in 2011, it has emerged that Savile was one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators.
Once a beloved TV entertainer who raised £40m for charity, he is thought to have exploited his status to prey on hundreds of people in television dressing rooms, hospitals, schools and children's homes.
The play's synopsis, describes how Savile "groomed the nation".
When asked by Marr if he had had second thoughts about the role, McGowan answered: "Third, fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts, yes".
He described the play as "very controversial", adding: "Its a very strange experience letting this person speak through me."
However, he continued: "A lot of people have said, 'Is it too early to do this play?,' but if you talk to the victims, a lot of them say it's thirty years too late." 
McGowan said he was just one of the millions of British TV viewers who was duped by the disgraced star.
"I was so duped by him that, just after he died, BBC North wanted me to do a tribute show about him because I'd done an impression of him on my show. They asked me to talk about him and his voice and how much affection he was held in and I did it.
"So subsequently, I feel very pleased to be able to redress that [with the play].
An Audience with Jimmy Savile opens on 10 June at the Park Theatre in London, yet no images of McGowan in character have been released to the press.
Writer Maitland said that was a deliberate move as "it's very distressing for victims and survivors and other people to see images of him".
He continued: "When a story about Savile is on the news, you have to [show pictures] but I thought if people are paying to see a play where Savile is a character that's fine, you can have someone portraying him but we don't want to cause people unnecessary offence by having an actor dressed up as him."
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