In the brave hands of Steve Coogan, with an exemplary ensemble cast and the voices of those Savile abused, The Reckoning is one of the most powerful and urgent TV dramas of the past decade.
On 29 October 2011, DJ, TV presenter, and all-around entertainer Jimmy Savile died. That night, TV news bulletins were full of archive footage of his career, alongside statements like “living legend”, “dedicated charity worker”, “a friend to royalty”, “a groundbreaking presence at Radio 1″, and “the man who fixed it for a whole generation of kids.”
Many of the children and teenagers Savile interacted with in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s remained silent as they watched those news bulletins roll. They knew the truth; it was a truth that many had tried to bring into the light so many times, only to be dismissed or silenced. Savile was a prolific predator and paedophile who, for decades, got away with his crimes as society and media promoted him to the status of a “legend.”
Bringing the story of Savile to the screen was never going to be easy, and it is a profoundly uncomfortable experience. However, it was also necessary, and, in the brave hands of Steve Coogan, with an exemplary ensemble cast and the voices of those Savile abused, The Reckoning is one of the most powerful and urgent TV dramas of the past decade.
The Reckoning is now showing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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