Several viewers who tuned in to watch The Reckoning on BBC One this evening switched off just minutes into the show.
The four-part BBC programme dramatises how Savile, who died in October 2011 aged 84, rose to fame and his crimes were finally unearthed. For a long time, he was one of Yorkshire’s most famous people and became a knight of the realm with connections to politicians and many famous faces.
He resided in a penthouse in Leeds in Roundhay Park. The Reckoning has been written by Bafta-winning screenwriter Neil McKay who previously wrote the award winning Fred West drama Appropriate Adult.
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Episode One of the drama aired tonight (Monday, October 9). In it, the action followed Saville’s rise in the 60s, becoming famous as a DJ in the dance halls of Leeds and Manchester.
But that episode didn’t go down well with some viewers. On X (formerly Twitter) many users claimed they had switched off.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
They said that the drama was ‘hard to watch’ and made them ‘feel sick’.
But they added that Steve Coogan had done a masterful job as Savile and had ‘got him down to a tee’.
Several viewers predicted Coogan could be handed a BAFTA for his performance, such was his strength in capturing the monster’s likeness and mannerisms.
@MonicaCollantin tweeted: “Well I managed 15 minutes of watching The Reckoning and I’ve switched over to the wholesome Ben Fogle following in explorers footsteps in Antarctica. Steve Coogan has got Saville in all his sickening hideousness off perfectly. What a foul specimen he really was”
@landrews2702 said: “Watching The Reckoning and am struggling to see what the point of it is. What is this drama trying to convey?
“If it’s just showing Jimmy Savile doing what he did back in the day, then isn’t it just dragging up an evil past? Coogan is putting in an excellent performance though.”
@MelanieHenwood wrote: “TheReckoning @BBCOne is very challenging viewing but you keep wondering how this happened for so long – hidden in plain sight, when so many people knew exactly what he was doing.”
@TheDontastic replied: “The Reckoning on BBC. Coogan’s portrayal is giving me strong Paul Calf vibes”
@hiphopsuxin96 tweeted: “steve coogan doing a fantastic job at making my skin crawl fucking hell #TheReckoning”
@talk_susan said: “1/3 … I’m watching The Reckoning just now on BBC One and I have to say Steve Coogan has got Savilles’ voice and mannerisms down to a ‘T’. I didn’t want to watch it because it’s, obviously, about #Saville, but I felt compelled to… 2/3”
@MarkBaxy wrote: “Not too sure I can watch the whole series of The Reckoning. It’s a bit too dark on a really uncomfortable subject. Coogan is fantastic has him off to a tee. #TheReckoning”
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