BBC defends The Reckoning by ‘tracing’ moment Savile could’ve been stopped

The Reckoning official trailer

The BBC faced backlash from many of its viewers when it first announced they were making a four-part series called The Reckoning and how it would look at Jimmy Savile’s career and horrific attacks on his young fans.

During his heyday, Savile was one of the UK’s most influential celebrities, who managed to climb up the social ladder and become friends with Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana and had close contacts in government and newspapers.

It was only after his death in 2011 that he became the most reviled figure in modern history following revelations of sexual abuse and how he used his status to hide in plain sight.

There have been many documentaries made about Savile, with The Reckoning being a dramatisation and Steve Coogan taking on the role of Savile.

Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore at the BBC recently defended their reason for making the series and explored how he managed to get away with it for so many years.

READ MORE Win a pair of tickets to The Coronation Street Experience

Speaking to Express.co.uk and other press, she explained: “I think all four episodes deal with the BBC and all four episodes trace the moments where the BBC could have done something to stop this man and didn’t.

“The failings of the institution were very clear and I think no one is shying away from those moments where something could have been done. I think the story of the BBC is another story to be told.

“It is well documented what happened and we were very clear about the purpose of this drama, you have to choose which parts of the story to tell and why and I think we could have made a film about the BBC.

“But this was a film about Savile and how he did what he did and how those institutions, the BBC as I say is all the way through, but those institutions failed to listen to the rumours, failed to ask further questions, failed to do anything about it and I think again it is the BBC but also society.

Don’t miss…
Paedophile BBC DJ who was friends with Jimmy Savile dies in jail[LATEST]
BBC slammed for ‘ill-judged’ ratings war as Savile drama clashes with ITV series[INSIGHT]
Brassic star Juliet Cowan makes her return to stand-up after two decades[WATCH ]

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

“We all felt there was a story to tell here and of course, I thought of the BBC’s part of the story, [but] just because the BBC is a big part of this story is not a reason to not tell this story.”

Executive Producer Jeff Pope added: “We felt very quickly that this was something we mustn’t bury and it couldn’t be seen to be the BBC marking it’s own homework.”

Steve Coogan agreed and said: “There is no agenda other than telling this story. You have to make those editorial decisions and it could have not been mentioned at all.

“So the drama itself, to me, grapples with all the institutions and various people, there are lots of individuals and people, a lot of people including the country have different degrees of culpability.”

The Reckoning begins Monday, October 9 from 9pm on BBC One.

Source: Read Full Article