Praise for 'extraordinary' Steve Coogan performance as Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning as viewers say scenes made them feel 'sick'

Viewers of BBC's The Reckoning have praised 'extraordinary' Steve Coogan for his performance as Jimmy Savile and said that scenes in the show made them 'feel sick'.

The four-part series tracks Savile’s rise to becoming one of the biggest stars in television and will also focus on his years of sexual abuse and the impact he had on his victims – four of whom have waived their anonymity and feature in the series.

Coogan, known for portraying comedy character Alan Partridge, plays serial sex offender Savile, who died in October 2011 aged 84 having never been brought to justice for his crimes.

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READ MORE How did Jimmy Savile die, when was his offending found out and how many victims were there

Sharing posts to social media site X, viewers heaped praise on Coogan for his portrayal of the sex offender, as @BillyBrightGFC posted: "Steve Coogan is already simply brilliant in The Reckoning" as @Chris1014Lee wrote: "Steve Coogan is tremendous as Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning. Not an easy watch though."

@wongmaddog said: "Watching "The Reckoning" on the iplayer. It's a very hard watch. Very well acted by Steve Coogan and the rest of the cast" as @suevictorian wrote: Extraordinary acting from Steve Coogan in #TheReckoning."

And @hearmeplaypiano said: "Bloody hell. Steve Coogan’s performance is extraordinary. He deserves to win every BAFTA going for this… it isn’t just that he sounds like him and has his mannerisms, but the edge of sinisterly menace is simmering under every syllable. Amazing."

Viewers were also sharing how uncomfortable it was to watch scenes in the show, saying it made them 'feel sick to the pit of their stomach' and was 'a difficult watch'