It was announced last month that Steve Coogan would play disgraced former BBC presenter and DJ Jimmy Savile. The first images of the Manchester-born actor have been released for the new upcoming drama The Reckoning.
News For All Twitter page shared the images, which show Coogan in Savile’s light blonde hair and a jester’s outfit on a Bolton hospital ward. This is more than likely the phase of the presenter’s career where he volunteered at Leeds General Infirmary and Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
Steve Coogan, known for his iconic character Alan Partridge and his work with Steve Coogan in the hilarious and sometimes poignant series The Trip, is set to play Jimmy Savile in a new BBC Drama – a decision he says was not taken “lightly”.
Creators say the series will explore Leeds-born Savile’s rise to fame, as well as his dark double life and how he used his “celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his wrongdoings and to hide in plain sight”.
Written by Neil McKay, who wrote Appropriate Adult, a drama about serial killer Fred West.
After Savile’s death, his dark past was revealed with a review finding that there were 7s victims of Saville with his connections with BBC alone.
Coogan said “To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly. Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively an horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told.”
The makers of the drama have said they’ve worked with some of those who were affected by the presenter in a bid to handle the topic sensitivity.
Jeff Pope, the executive producer of The Reckoning, said: “The purpose of this drama is to explore how Savile’s offending went unchecked for so long, and in shining a light on this, to ensure such crimes never happen again. Steve Coogan has a unique ability to inhabit complex characters and will approach this role with the greatest care and integrity.”
Read More: Yorkshire Icon Sean Bean To Star In New BBC Drama ‘Marriage’
Feature Image Credit: Maximilian Bühn, CC-BY-SA 4.0
