The Reckoning viewers praise Steve Coogan’s ‘skin-crawling’ portrayal of Jimmy Savile

Announcement that the BBC was working on the series initially triggered fierce criticism, with some calling it ‘disrespectful’ to the survivors

Viewers of the BBC’s controversial Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning have praised Steve Coogan’s “skin-crawling” depiction of the late paedophile.

Savile, who rose to fame as a presenter on shows such as Top of the Pops, was exposed as one of Britain’s worst sex offenders one year after his death in 2011, when it was revealed that he had sexually abused hundreds of women and children for decades.

The BBC One series, created by Neil McKay and Jeff Pope (Four Lives), was released on Monday 9 October.

It charts the rise and rise of the disgraced presenter, against the backdrop of the BBC, as Savile became one of the most recognisable faces on British television, all the while using his power and position to abuse and exploit his victims.

Coogan has previously defended his decision to portray Savile, after the show’s announcement sparked a furious backlash last year.

After the first episode of The Reckoning aired on BBC One on Monday 9 October, viewers have been praising the Alan Partridge creator’s chilling performance, with several people suggesting he deserves a Bafta.

“Steve Coogan has delivered the acting performance of the year in The Reckoning,” journalist David Prior tweeted. “His Savile is skin-crawlingly creepy, note perfect in sound and gesture, and totally believable. A genuinely extraordinary tour de force.

“Bafta incoming, surely.”

Another viewer celebrated Coogan’s talent on social media, explaining they didn’t “catch even the slightest of whiff of Partridge” in the actor’s portrayal.

“That is a hugely impressive feat,” they added.

A third comment read: “[Coogan’s] mannerisms, voice and acting is all just as skin-crawling and vile as it needs to be. Excellently written and acted, in exactly the right tone. I’d advise anyone to watch it.”

Social media users commended the survivors who appear in The Reckoning, with one person writing: “I hope [they] feel the compassion and anger from everyone watching. This is superb, if hard to watch.”

Viewers also applauded Sense and Sensibility star Gemma Jones’ performance as Savile’s “tragic” mother Agnes Savile.

However, others highlighted that the show was commissioned by the BBC, and argued that the series does not hold the broadcaster sufficiently accountable for enabling Savile and failing to investigate him.

The show concludes with Savile’s death in October 2011, and does not portray the scandal where BBC executives shelved a Newsnight investigation that exposed him as a sexual predator.

“I’m sure [The Reckoning is] good but let’s not forget that the company that commissioned it is the same company that let this monster loose unchecked for many years...” one critic tweeted.

Coogan, 57, delivers a career-best performance as the paedophile presenter (BBC/ITV/Matt Squire)

In an interview with The Independent, Pope said that he and McKay never “felt censored, or put under pressure to make changes to go lighter on the BBC” during the filming process. The show was produced by independent ITV studios.

After Coogan’s casting was announced, he speculated that the criticism against him and The Reckoning creators was in part “ because I’m playing someone who either hoodwinked a nation and groomed a nation, or if you’re being slightly less charitable, the nation enabled him”.

If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331