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The BBC has released the first trailer of The Reckoning starring Steve Coogan as Jimmy Savile – and it has sent shivers down our spines.
The four-part drama stars with the Alan Partridge actor as the disgraced DJ, who died in 2011 aged 84 before his prolific crimes as a child sex abuser and sex offender came to light.
Viewers have already been given a glimpse of Coogan as the vile serial abuser in first-look pictures but now the much-anticipated trailer has been released and it indicates Savile’s crimes will be explored in-depth.
The 30-second clip begins with Savile acting cocky in a media meeting, at the beginning of his career telling an executive: ‘I’m not an act. What you see is what you get.’
The following shots then follows hoards of young women entering Savile’s dressing room, with a voiceover commenting: ‘He was one of the biggest manipulators of people to rise to the status that he did.’
Another voice adds: ‘He groomed the whole nation.’
The clip also touches upon the allegations of Savile being a paedophile coming into the public consciousness for the very first time – and put to the BBC presenter.
When confronted within the trailer, Savile brushes them aside and feigns ignorance: ‘What rumours might they be?’
At the end of the trailer, Savile walks out on the street to applause as a victim is heard saying: ‘As old as I am now I would’ve danced on his grave.’
More than 450 horrifying allegations were brought forward to the police following Savile’s death.
Given the nature of Savile’s crimes, The Reckoning has already been at the centre of intense backlash resulting in the BBC explaining that it is being treated with extreme caution.
Coogan has also defended the drama and said producers and the broadcasters made the ‘correct choice’.
‘It is controversial and I understand that,’ Coogan told Radio Times.
‘The BBC are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and I believe the correct choice is to be damned if they do. Broadly, it’s better to talk about something than not.
‘The team had the right attitude and it was done with the cooperation of survivors. I think when it’s broadcast, it will vindicate itself.’
The synopsis for the programme reads: ‘The four-part series will trace the life of Jimmy Savile, a man who, for decades, became one of the UK’s most influential celebrities, but in death has become one of the most reviled figures of modern history following revelations of extensive and horrific abuse.
‘Savile used his involvement in multiple organisations, such as the BBC, hospitals, prisons, and charities, to legitimise himself, forging friendships in showbusiness, politics, journalism, the Catholic Church and even the Royal family to cement his position.
‘Using drama’s unique ability to place events in their emotional and historical context, the series will explore how Savile used his celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his crimes and exploit institutional failings.
‘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.’
Details surrounding the cast have also been revealed with Gentleman Jack actress Gemma Jones and Happy Valley actors Mark Stanley and Siobhan Finneran joining Outlander actor Mark Lewis Jones.
The Reckoning is expected to air on BBC this autumn.
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