Steve Coogan transforms into shamed sexual predator Jimmy Savile in his trademark red tracksuit as he has heated exchange with mystery woman while filming controversial drama The Reckoning
Steve Coogan transformed into shamed sexual predator Jimmy Savile on Friday as he filmed scenes for the controversial new drama The Reckoning where he go into a heated exchange with a mystery woman.
The Alan Partridge actor, 56, had a feathered fringed haircut and wore a garish red tracksuit suggesting he was portraying the deviant presenter during his 1970s heyday in those specific scenes where the woman left in tears.
Coogan will play Savile – who died in 2011 – in forthcoming BBC drama, which will give an account of his rise to fame as a popular pirate radio disc jockey and eventual mainstream TV success on shows such as Top Of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It.
Uncanny: Steve Coogan transformed into disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile in his trademark red tracksuit on Friday as he filmed scenes for the controversial new drama The Reckoning inspired by the shamed sexual predator’s fall from grace
Oh dear: He looked just like Saville in the sportswear which he teamed with navy trainers as he ran through a park in Manchester before bumping into a woman that he then had a heated exchange with
Drama: He is accosted by an angry and clearly irate young woman who points the finger at him and then leaves him in floods of tears
He looked just like Saville in the sportswear – which he was pictured in in 1973 – teamed with navy trainers as he ran through a park in Manchester before bumping into the woman that he then had an argument with.
As always Coogan’s looks had been radically changed, with a jutting prosthetic chin helping to sculpt his otherwise conventional features into the leery, angular faced Savile.
In another scene he wore huge black glasses and spoke off the phone, before braving the chilly temperatures again for more running, which sent a flock of birds flying into the sky.
Run: The Alan Partridge actor, 56, had a feathered fringed haircut and wore a garish red tracksuit suggested he was portraying the deviant presenter during his 1970s heyday in those specific scenes
Role: Coogan will play Savile – who died in 2011 – in forthcoming BBC drama, which will give an account of his rise to fame as a popular pirate radio disc jockey and eventual mainstream TV success on shows such as Top Of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It
Predator: Jimmy is pictured presenting the BBC music chart show Top Of The Pops in 1973 wearing a similar tracksuit
A damning report detailed Savile’s decades of abuse across the NHS and how management turned a blind eye because of his fame and the amount of cash he raised for charity.
Victims included a young girl raped 10 times when she visited the hospital where her parents worked. The investigation found that none of the complaints were ‘either taken seriously or escalated to senior management’.
He went onto abuse a total of 177 patients, aged between five and 75, across 41 hospitals. Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire was where his abuse was most prolific.
The decision to chronicle Savile’s life has come under fire from many, however BBC has stated that they worked with his victims and will portray a story ‘with sensitivity and respect’.
Steve, who famously portrays fictional comedic character Alan Partridge, previously explained in a statement the decision to play Savile was not one ‘I took lightly’.
He added: ‘Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively a horrific story which, however harrowing, needs to be told.’
Effort: As always Coogan’s looks had been radically changed, with a jutting prosthetic chin helping to sculpt his otherwise conventional features into the leery, angular faced Savile
Argument: The woman was left crying after talking to Jimmy in the park
Filming: In another scene he wore huge black glasses and spoke off the phone, before braving the chilly temperatures again for more running, which sent a flock of birds flying into the sky
Savile, who rose from a humble working-class upbringing to become one of British television’s biggest stars, passed away aged 84 in 2011.
In his final years, he fought to quell growing speculation about his illegal exploits throughout his illustrious career with the BBC – with victim testimony expected to be brought to life in the new drama.
A BBC-led inquiry into his actions found he had molested at least 72 children, some as young as eight, over a four decade campaign of sexual abuse with his first victim in 1959 and his last in 2006.
Horrible: A damning report detailed Savile’s decades of abuse across the NHS and how management turned a blind eye because of his fame and the amount of cash he raised for charity
Terrible: Victims included a young girl raped 10 times when she visited the hospital where her parents worked. The investigation found that none of the complaints were ‘either taken seriously or escalated to senior management’
His horrific reign of abuse could be charted ‘in the corridors, canteens, staircases and dressing rooms of every BBC premises’, their 2016 report found.
Executive producer, Jeff Pope, said: ‘I think this is a story that has to be told. We must understand why a man like Jimmy Savile seemed to remain immune for so long to proper scrutiny and criminal investigation.
‘Steve has a unique ability to inhabit complex characters and will approach this role with the greatest care and integrity.’
Abuser: He went onto abuse a total of 177 patients, aged between five and 75, across 41 hospitals. Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire was where his abuse was most prolific
New show: A release date has yet to be announced with filming for the series expected to continue taking place in Manchester over the coming months
Experts: The BBC also says it will draw on ‘extensive and wide-ranging research sources’ or the project, examining the lasting impact of Savile’s crimes and the ‘powerlessness’ his victims felt
The BBC also says it will draw on ‘extensive and wide-ranging research sources’ or the project, examining the lasting impact of Savile’s crimes and the ‘powerlessness’ his victims felt.
Piers Wenger Controller, of BBC Drama, added: ‘The story of Jimmy Savile is one of the most emotive and troubling of our times.
‘We do not intend to sensationalise these crimes but to give voice to his victims.
Predator: Savile, who rose from a humble working-class upbringing to become one of British television’s biggest stars, passed away aged 84 in 2011
‘We will work with survivors to ensure their stories are told with sensitivity and respect and to examine the institutions which Jimmy Savile was associated with and the circumstances in which these crimes took place.
‘Drama has the ability to tackle sensitive real life subjects and consider the impact of a crime on its survivors and what lessons can be learnt to stop this ever happening again.’
A release date has yet to be announced with filming for the series expected to continue taking place in Manchester over the coming months.
Important: Piers Wenger Controller, of BBC Drama, said of the show: ‘The story of Jimmy Savile is one of the most emotive and troubling of our times’
Tension: The unknown woman looked incredibly angry as they filmed the scenes together
Sensitive: He added: ‘We do not intend to sensationalise these crimes but to give voice to his victims’
Chilly: He later wrapped up warm in a black padded jacket and sported glasses
Story: Executive producer, Jeff Pope, said: ‘I think this is a story that has to be told. We must understand why a man like Jimmy Savile seemed to remain immune for so long to proper scrutiny and criminal investigation’
Awful: A BBC-led inquiry into his actions found he had molested at least 72 children, some as young as eight, over a four decade campaign of sexual abuse with his first victim in 1959 and his last in 2006
Friendly: As the pair took a break between scenes they chatted and had a joke together
Serious: The woman was on a mission as she went to meet Jimmy in the park
New role: Steve continued to film the controversial New BBC drama The Reckoning in Manchester
Source: Read Full Article
