New victims of Jimmy Savile have gone to the police with complaints about a “very organised” paedophile ring operating at the BBC, it emerged today.

The allegations relate to the DJ and several of his associates working at the corporation about 40 years ago.

The victims say they were abused by the entertainer as well as other BBC staff who were not famous TV faces.

Although some of the complaints about the alleged paedophile ring have been referred to Scotland Yard, not all of those making the claims have yet contacted police, their lawyer said.

Liz Dux is leading a legal team dealing with more than 20 victims, most of whom allege they were abused by Savile, who died last year aged 84. Some were also victims of the “paedophile ring” at the BBC, she said.

In response to allegations of a paedophile ring, a BBC spokeswoman said: "We are shocked by allegations that anything of this sort could have been carried out by anyone working for the BBC and would encourage anyone with information on such issues to speak to the police."

“The calls are coming in by the day, including victims as well as witnesses who saw things take place,” added Ms Dux, of Russell Jones & Walker.

Of the abuses allegedly involving BBC staff, she added: “It was very organised. It was not just Savile, there were other people behind it. Some [victims] were very young and don’t know the identities of the people they were abused by. These were not famous people.”

A handful of the complaints also relate to assaults at hospitals, schools and children’s homes. “Some of these people have been terribly damaged. They are traumatised and their lives have been ruined.”

The fresh details on the alleged BBC paedophile ring came as it was revealed nine serving employees are under investigation for “serious allegations” of “sexual harassment, assault or inappropriate conduct” as the fallout from the Savile scandal continues.

The individuals are either staff members or contributors accused of sexual misconduct from as early as the Seventies up until recently. Some are being investigated by police. Others have been reported to BBC management. The BBC refused to say if any of the employees have been suspended.

Meanwhile, Newsnight editor Peter Rippon — who shelved a film detailing Savile’s abuse — faced fresh criticism after an email emerged claiming he played down the story because “it was 40 years ago” and the girls were not “too young”.

In the email sent last December, Newsnight reporter Liz MacKean wrote: “Having commissioned the story, Peter Rippon keeps saying he’s lukewarm about it and is trying to kill it by making impossible editorial demands.” She reportedly claimed: “When we rebut his points, he resorts to saying, well, it was 40 years ago ... the girls were teenagers, not too young ... they weren’t the worst kind of sexual offences etc.”