The Reckoning (BBC1)

Rating: What a flirt, that Maggie Thatcher, eh? Show her a bit of cheeky Northern charm, a flash of flattery, and she’d go coy and giggly as a schoolgirl.

Steve Coogan’s portrayal of Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning (BBC1) showcases his 15-year friendship with the Tory leader as a playful and risque interaction. The chemistry between Coogan’s character and the portrayal of Maggie Thatcher by Fenella Woolgar is nothing short of entertaining, with her responding to his advances in a manner that is both innocent and blush-worthy. It’s as if I kept waiting for her to push him away, exclaiming, ‘Ooh, you are terrible… but I like you!’

This four-hour drama brilliantly weaves a narrative that places the blame for Savile’s heinous crimes on all facets of society, including the BBC, the church, the health service, the government, and the newspapers. By doing so, it shifts responsibility away from a single entity and spreads it across the entire society. With Steve Coogan in the role of paedophile Jimmy Savile, The Reckoning is a controversial yet powerful depiction of his relationship with the broadcaster and the broader implications of his actions.

All four episodes of the show, which airs from Monday, were screened for reviewers at BBC Broadcasting House this week, followed by a question-and-answer session. This makes it particularly challenging to assess, as ordinary viewers won’t have the same cinematic experience and won’t benefit from the insights shared by the writer, producer, star, and senior BBC executive.

Charlotte Moore, the Beeb’s chief content officer, was defensive when faced with suggestions that The Reckoning absolves the BBC of their role in creating a monster. Executive producer Jeff Pope argued that, aside from dedicating an entire episode to Savile at the BBC, there was little more that could be said about the predator’s relationship with the broadcaster. Writer Neil McKay rightly pointed out that there was no evidence of a deliberate cover-up within the corporation and that his script adhered meticulously to the known facts. Coogan playfully challenged me, asserting that The Reckoning was not some face-saving exercise for the BBC.

Nevertheless, The Reckoning does go easy on the broadcaster, depicting Savile as a master manipulator who used his eccentric persona to divert attention from his heinous sexual assaults on young women and children. Even when concerns were raised by senior staff, they were dismissed. Bill Cotton, the head of light entertainment, is portrayed as gullible and short-sighted in his unwavering belief that Savile is harmless, solely because he boosts ratings. But the show neglects to fully explore the extent of the influence exerted by the BBC’s promotion of Savile on the entire country. It was not simply a case of people being dazzled; rather, it was his fame, which was bestowed upon him by television, that made him untouchable.

Despite its reluctance to glamorize Savile, The Reckoning does not shy away from depicting the darker aspects of his character, the seediness and creepiness that defined him. The focus is on his manipulation and manipulation of others rather than his eccentric performance persona. Coogan skillfully captures Savile’s voice and, with the aid of makeup, portrays the DJ at every stage of his adult life.

In a Freudian twist, Gemma Jones portrays Agnes, Savile’s deeply religious mother who initially disapproved of her unmarried son’s questionable lifestyle before his fame. The Reckoning argues that Savile’s narcissism stemmed from his desire to impress his mother, whom he referred to as ‘The Duchess’. She knew he was a liar and suspected him of far worse, but felt compelled to trust him. She was ultimately won over by his high-profile charitable acts and the OBE he received for them. Savile deceived her, and this deception allowed him to deceive everyone else. In Agnes’s final years, she embraced the glamour of his showbiz life. During the Q&A session, it was revealed that Savile once boasted about turning his mother into a gangster, a quote that curiously did not make it into the script.

The title of the show, The Reckoning, alludes to the day when sins are tallied up for final judgment. Savile famously quipped that if St. Peter didn’t allow him through the Pearly Gates, ‘I might have to break his fingers’. The drama employs two storytelling devices to convey its narrative. Mark Stanley portrays journalist Dan Davies, who spent years interviewing Savile for a biography as his fame waned. It is through this character that we see the textbook traits of a psychopath: arrogance, blatant lying, subtle hints and riddles, the pride in his monstrous acts, the audacious admissions, and the utter lack of conscience.

The second narrative device accentuates the human cost of Savile’s crimes through interviews with four real-life victims. These individuals recount their experiences, with the youngest victim being Kevin, a Cub Scout who was assaulted by Savile in a BBC dressing room. The oldest victim, Susan, was in her 20s and delivered a pair of glasses to Savile’s family home in Leeds. He manipulated her into coming inside, attacked her, and then went on to interview her for a radio show.

Although some of Savile’s unsavory associates make an appearance, the show does not delve into the presence of other predators at the BBC, such as Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, or Chris Denning. There is only a passing mention of John Peel, whose first wife was 15 years old when they married. The Reckoning does not explore how Savile’s unchecked abuse facilitated the concealment of numerous other predators within the BBC.

‘It just wasn’t the story that we were telling,’ said Jeff Pope, shedding light on the decision-making process behind The Reckoning.

Now that The Reckoning has redirected attention in various directions, it is uncertain if the full story will ever be told.

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