Who plays Jimmy Saville in BBC's The Reckoning?

A new drama looking into the life and crimes of TV star Jimmy Savile will air on the BBC. The Reckoning explores the disgraced presenter's rise to fame and his horrific offending that lay undiscovered until after his death in 2011.

Steve Coogan stars as Savile in the four-part true crime drama. The 57-year-old actor, who grew up in Middleton, is best known for playing radio DJ Alan Partridge in several comedy series and has also starred in films including Stan & Ollie, Philomena and Greed.

Reflecting on what he hopes people take away from the new series, Coogan said: “The point that I hope people will take away is that they learn to listen to victims and survivors, and learn to take these things seriously. If you treat people with respect and we act together then you can avoid something like this from happening in the future.”

READ MORE: Steve Coogan on playing disgraced star Jimmy Savile in new BBC drama

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Coogan noted that the series reflects how those who knew about Savile or were targeted by him often had “ostensibly low status who couldn’t change things”. He added: “The people who could have made things better were people in positions of power, and they are more culpable than the people who did not wield that power."

The actor revealed the “calibre” of the team involved with the drama was a main driver for him to take on the project. The series was written by Neil McKay, whose other credits include BBC drama Four Lives about serial killer Stephen Port, and is being executive produced by Jeff Pope.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the drama, Coogan said: “On balance, I think it is better to make this drama than not to make it. Drama can