28 Years Later viewers left fuming by ‘chilling’ Jimmy Savile ending: ‘How did they get away with this?’
The long-awaited third instalment of the 28 Days Later franchise, 28 Years Later, is now in cinemas.
The film, directed by Danny Boyle, picks up after the events of the 2002 original and ignores its 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later.
It stars Alfie Williams as Spike, a young boy living on a small island kept safe from the virus, connected to the mainland by a heavily defended causeway.
The story begins as Spike joins his father, played by Aaron Taylor‑Johnson, on a mission to the mainland for the very first time. The cast also features Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes.
With a sequel, The Bone Temple, already announced for release in January 2026, the ending of 28 Years Later sets the stage for the next chapter.
The film concludes with Spike coming face‑to‑face with a cult led by a strange man – Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). As events spiral into madness, it’s revealed that the cult are kung fu experts dressed in shell suits and blonde wigs inspired by disgraced British presenter Jimmy Savile.
Reactions from viewers have been sharply divided, with many expressing shock and disgust at the unexpected final scene.
On X, one viewer wrote: “Just watched the 28 years later ending on pirate as it had a Jimmy Savile ending apparently, well it does, not sure why filmmakers are allowed to get away with this s***, a disgusting filthy scene in my opinion.”
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Another said: “The only thing more insane to me than these Jimmy Savile 28 years later rumours actually being true is the way people seem to be reacting like it’s funny tee hee. F***ing revolting.”
A further comment added: “The more I think about the ending the more it pisses me off. There’ll be some bullshit reason why they’re all dressed as Jimmy Savile, but in real world terms it’s in such bad taste. I can’t believe a whole studio thought it was acceptable, mad…”
Others took a different approach, finding the scene intriguing despite its unsettling nature.
One person said: “If you have an itch that can only be scratched by watching a film that ends with ninja chavs who are all dressed like Jimmy Savile, then go and watch 28 Years Later. I’m not even joking.”
Another commented: “I understand the final scene of 28 YEARS LATER is proving to be divisive but once you know the implications (just do a quick Google search for Jimmy Savile) it quickly becomes the most chilling scene of the entire film.”
Another viewer wrote: “I went to see the 28 Years Later premier and I thought it was a smart, gripping and unexpected sequel in the series. I even liked the weird Kill Bill Jimmy Savile end!”
Meanwhile, one person added: “When I watched #28YearsLater on Wednesday, I thought the ending was kinda creepy and not just dumb like many say. I saw some British people talking about Jimmy Savile and I Googled it… COMPLETELY changed the tone of the scene. #28YearsLaterTheBoneTemple is gonna be INTENSE.”
In an interview with The Independent, Danny Boyle offered some insight into the character of Jimmy Crystal, hinting that the final scene of the film is not the first time he appears.
“I asked Alex [Garland] right at the beginning to just tell me what’s the nature of each of the films, and he said that the nature of the first film is about family. The second film is about the nature of evil. And you’re about to meet a lot more of them when it’ll be more appropriate to talk about them in the second film.”
Jimmy Crystal will be a central character in the sequel, which is also set to reintroduce Cillian Murphy’s Jim, the star of the 2002 film.