Yes you read it right: the BBC will be releasing a four-part drama series detailing the life, career and abuses of Jimmy Savile.
Predictably, the series, which will star Steve Coogan as the disgraced presenter, has been dividing opinion since it was announced in 2020. Some have argued that it is wrong to make entertainment out of such a painful part of recent British history; others believe that making a TV show about the nightmarish story will help to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Here’s everything to know about the upcoming series, which is set to be released on October 9.
What is The Reckoning going to be about?
According to the BBC, the series will explore “how Savile used his celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his crimes and exploit institutional failings”.
The series aims to “place events in their emotional and historical context”, and will depict the long-lasting impact Savile’s actions had on the lives of his victims.
The Reckoning will also explore the failure of the institutions that were supposed to protect his victims (many of whom were vulnerable children), as rumours about his abuses were brushed under the rug, and worse, as people who tried to report Savile were ignored or shut down.
Who is going to star in it?
57-year-old British actor Steve Coogan, who has recently starred in films Greed (2019), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) and The Lost King (2022), will play Savile.
He will be joined on screen by Gemma Jones (Marvellous, Gentleman Jack), Mark Lewis Jones (Outlander, Chernobyl), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Time) and Mark Stanley (Happy Valley, White House Farm).
Who has made the new series?
The series has been written by Neil McKay, a writer with a lot of experience adapting some of Britain’s most shocking stories to the screen: McKay wrote the 2006 ITV series See No Evil: The Moors Murders, which detailed the crimes of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, and he wrote The Moorside, a 2017 BBC two-parter about the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews in 2008.
The Reckoning has been directed by Sandra Goldbacher, whose credits include episodes of Endeavour (2016), Victoria (2016) and Ordeal by Innocence (2018). Executive producers of the series include McKay, Jeff Pope – who won a BAFTA for his work on See No Evil: The Moors Murders – and Lucy Richer (The Sixth Commandment).
Is there a trailer?
Yes, a 30-second teaser trailer was released on Thursday. We’ve popped it at the top of the page.
How has BBC approached creating the series?
Naturally, the BBC has had to take great care in making the series. The BBC was the home of Savile: over his five-decade career he presented a number of BBC radio shows, as well as flagship BBC TV programmes including Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix It.
Explaining their approach, the BBC said: “The team have worked closely with many people whose lives were impacted by Savile to ensure their experiences are told and reflected with sensitivity and respect, and the drama will also draw on extensive, wide-ranging research and published accounts.”
It added: “It is important to understand how he was able to hide in plain sight in order to gain a greater understanding of how he evaded justice. The drama aims to highlight the importance of confronting the horrors of the past and talking openly about abuse.”
What has Steve Coogan said about his decision to play Savile?
The decision to make the drama has naturally spawned a lot of discussion, with people arguing over the ethics of turning Savile’s crimes into entertainment.
Speaking to Collider, Coogan addressed his decision to play the presenter: “I thought long and hard about it… I didn’t say yes straight away. But I thought it was very well written, the cast, the supporting cast I had were exemplary, so it had all the things in place to make it something worthwhile and not exploitative or prurient or morbid.
“I am of the mind that to prevent these things from happening again, you have to look at them,” he continued. “It’s like an uncomfortable process. I think a lot of the revulsion is because people feel the whole nation was either hoodwinked – or if you’re being less kind, complicit – in enabling him to do the nefarious things he did. So it’s important to look at someone like that.
“It’s interesting. People play Hitler and serial murderers and no one bats an eyelid. But there was a lot of consternation about me doing this. But as an acting job, it’s sort of what all actors want to do is play – whatever your views on him – a fascinating, although horrific – but certainly a fascinating figure, who really is manifestation of something else that is deeply wrong in British society. It’s not just about him, it’s about what kind of society lays the groundwork for someone like him to operate.
“I think when it comes out it will vindicate itself.”
