Jimmy Savile, host of Top Of The Pops is caught allegedly molesting a young woman on live TV in 1976.

SHOCKING footage has emerged of British television icon Jimmy Savile groping a young woman live on air, while an Australian man is thought to be among 300 victims abused by the presenter.

Disturbing YouTube footage taken from Top of the Pops in 1976 shows a teenage Sylvia Edwards wriggling away from Savile who had his hand up her skirt and was groping her bottom with one hand while he calmly introduces the next act to the camera.

The 19-year-old jumps about and shrieks in reaction to Savile's wandering hands during live filming for the popular music show on November 25 1976 at the BBC's West London TV centre.

She has told British newspaper The Sun that when she complained to a BBC employee she was told to "get lost" as Savile was only "messing about".

"I felt his fingers go towards my bottom. It was disgusting," the now 55-year-old told The Sun.

"He just laughed and carried on mauling me while talking to the camera."

In the clip Savile says to the camera: "I tell you something, a fella could get used to this, as it happens, he really could get used to it."

Ms Edwards said the experience damaged her and later contributed to the collapse of her marriage.

Ms Edwards' claims come amid what has been described as a "tsunami of filth", with British police following 400 lines of inquiry involving more than 300 victims of alleged abuse by Savile from the 1960s through to the 1980s.

News Limited has learned one victim is an Australian man from NSW who has contacted authorities in the UK with details of abuse believed to have been while he was growing up in the UK more than two decades ago.

It was thought most of the victims were female but top law firm Pannone has confirmed most of the people it is representing are males.

Partner Alan Collins - who has prosecuted high profile child abuse claims including the infamous Jersey childrens' home abuse case from three years ago - said yesterday he was to travel to Australia next month to interview one victim in person.

"We are representing victims from the UK, Europe and I can confirm at this stage one victim is from Australia," he said.

"It is being reported that a lot of the alleged Savile victims were women but that is not right. We are representing mostly men. These were boys in the 1960s and '70s from good quality homes who were victims but are today upstanding people who would not normally come to the attention of the law."

Mr Collins declined to say any more about the case but it is understood he has been in email and telephone contact with the NSW man and was arranging to meet when he was to be in Australia on unrelated business.

He described the Savile case as staggering and said he would be looking at making a claim on behalf of clients on Savile's multi-million dollar estate which included homes cars and cash.

When he died last year, Savile bequeathed most of his fortune to charities.

A number of law firms are representing victims.

Meanwhile, police are preparing to arrest up to 12 people allegedly linked with Savile's child abuse. The British press has reported that nine of those being investigated are current employees and or contributors working at the BBC.

Chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten described the scandal as a tsunami of filth that had created "terrible damage" to the network.

Scotland Yard had seven chances to stop Savile before he died last year but complaints were either not followed through or did not have enough evidence.

Thirty police officers were now investigating the Savile case; in contrast 178 officers were currently investigating the media in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.