He was a 'con man': Steve Coogan on playing Jimmy Savile in harrowing drama The Reckoning

Posthumous investigations revealed that he had been a prolific sex offender, amassing hundreds of allegations of rape and sexual assault of children and adults over a number of decades.

An ITV documentary titled Exposure: the Other Side of Jimmy Savile, broadcast in October 2012, a year after Savile’s death, first revealed allegations of the serious sexual assaults.

Now, a decade later, a BBC drama is set to trace the life of the man who used his position as one of the biggest stars of British television to cause pain and misery to hundreds.

The Reckoning sees Steve Coogan, known for his Alan Partridge character, portray Jimmy Savile as the story follows his early years in the dance halls of northern England, his career with the BBC, through to the latter years as he tried to dispel the growing rumours about his life behind the scenes.

“To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly,” says Coogan, 57.

“Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively an horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told.”

As the details of Savile’s abuse unravelled, it became apparent that he’d used his position in many organisations – including the BBC, hospitals, prisons and charities – to legitimise himself as he hid his crimes in plain sight.

The drama, made by ITV Studios for the BBC, will explore how Savile was able to use his connections and celebrity status, including exploiting institutional failings, to commit and conceal his crimes.

“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,” says Jeff Pope, executive producer at ITV Studios.

Speaking on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, Coogan says there had been a “great deal of antipathy toward me doing it when it was announced”.

“I understand people’s antagonism about the whole idea,” he says, though he maintains that the script was “very intelligent” and “it was done in consultation with many of the victims of Jimmy Savile”.

“They came along to the shoot and their story was encompassed into the story of Jimmy Savile,” he says of the survivors.

“I think with all these things, generally speaking, it’s better to talk about them than not talk about them. Savile started out as a dance hall DJ in Manchester. And DJs enjoy controlling a room. I think he was a con man."

The Reckoning starts on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, October 9.

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