Actor Steve Coogan is to star in a new BBC One drama mini-series based on the life of Jimmy Savile.
Coogan has been cast as Jimmy Savile in the TV series called The Reckoning, created by Neil Mckay and Jeff Pope, producers of Bafta-winning show Appropriate Adult.
The series will explore Savile’s rise from working-class origins and his early years in the dance halls of Northern England, his career with the BBC, to revelations of historic abuse following his death.
Behind the mini-series, the team have worked with those whose lives were impacted by Savile and said it is working to ensure their stories are told “with sensitivity and respect.”
It has been produced by ITV studios and directed by Sandra Goldbacher.
Steve Coogan said: “To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly. Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively a horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told.”
Executive Producer, ITV Studios, Jeff Pope added: “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.”
