The first images of Steve Coogan’s transformation into Jimmy Savile for an upcoming BBC drama have been shared online.
The eerie photos emerges as filming commences in Bolton town centre.
The 55-year-old comedian and Alan Partridge star looks unrecognisable having been transformed with bright blonde hair and spotted dressed in the disgraced TV and radio presenter’s characteristic jester costume in a break during filming in Bolton.
The town centre’s Le Mans Crescent – which has been a popular filming spot in recent years, with Peaky Blinders, Channel 4’s It’s A Sin, and the currently-airing BBC drama series Ridley Road all making use of the location – is believed to be doubling as Stoke Mandeville Hospital where Savile, who had full access to all parts of the hospital, sexually abused more than 50 people, including an eight-year-old child.
The behind-the-scenes photos of Coogan snapped through the hospital set window have been published by many media outlets, and shared to Twitter by @NewsForAllUK.
The BBC drama mini-series, titled The Reckoning, will follow Savile through his early years as a DJ in the dance halls of North England, tell the story of how he rose from a working-class background to become one of the biggest stars in television, and the years of sexual abuse and the impact it had on his victims.
As is to be expected, the upcoming show has caused a fair bit of controversy.
Production has been widely slammed, with many hitting out at the BBC in particular, as this was where Savile spent many years of his career before his death in 2011.
“To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly. Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively an horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told,” Steve Coogan said of his casting to BBC News.
The show’s director Sandra Goldbacher added: “The Reckoning is a unique opportunity to give Savile’s survivors, the people who inspired this project, a voice [and] I feel sure that Steve Coogan’s powerful performance as Savile will create a debate around how the cult of celebrity cloaked him from scrutiny.”
The production team have said that they are working closely with people whose lives were impacted by Savile to ensure that their stories are told with sensitivity and respect.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons | YouTube
TV & Showbiz
Single Mancs wanted to take part in next series of Married At First Sight UK
Emily Sergeant
Okay, bold question time – would you marry a complete stranger?
If you (somehow) answered yes to that, then you’ll probably be keen to hear that hit Channel 4 reality show, Married at First Sight UK, is currently on the lookout for brave contestants to take part in the next series.
And you’ll probably be even keener to hear that casting directors are urging single Mancs to stick an application in… if they fancy it.
If you haven’t seen Married at First Sight yet, well then firstly, where have you been? And secondly, it’s a dating show like no other that sees singletons marry complete strangers in a social experiment – and it’s undoubtedly binge-worthy and extremely entertaining.
Married at First Sight UK has opened its casting for the next series / Credit: Channel 4
Contestants – who will not have met or had contact with each other until the wedding day – are matched up with their supposed ‘perfect match’, determined by a group of experts who use “scientific matchmaking methods”.
Once the contestants are married off, the camera follows them for five weeks to see whether the new relationship is a success or not.
Calling on singletons to put their faith in the matchmaking service, Channel 4 wrote in the casting announcement on the ‘Take Part’ section of its website: “If you are ready to swipe left to the dating apps and say ‘I do’ at the altar, then our experts are here to help you find the one.”
Channel 4 wants singletons to put their faith in the matchmaking service / Credit: Channel 4
Casting directors say singles of all ages, backgrounds, gender identities, and sexualities are ‘welcome to apply’ for the new series.
Fancy it then?
Applications are currently open for the next series, and to apply to the show, you just need to be over 18 years of age, live in the UK, and feel ready for marriage.
BBC is looking for messy Mancs who need to ‘sort their life out’ to take part in new series
Emily Sergeant
Do you need to sort your life out?
We get that this may sound like a pretty brutal and upfront question to ask, but don’t shoot the messenger, it’s technically the BBC asking it, as producers are currently on the hunt for messy people who could do with ‘sorting their life out’ to take part in the new series of one of its hit TV shows – and they’re encouraging Greater Manchester residents to apply.
While the title of the show may, quite literally, be Sort Your Life Out, we promise it’s not as harsh as it seems, as in reality, it’s just offering you a helping hand to tidy up.
That’s right, if you would you like your home to be totally transformed by none other than Stacey Solomon and her expert team, then through a life-changing declutter, supersize spring clean, and some ingenious carpentry solutions to top things off, you could bring some job back to where you live.
The BBC is looking for messy Mancs who need to ‘sort their life out’ to take part in new series / Credit: BBC | FreerangeStock
Stacey and her expert team of organising fanatics can help you let go of the things you don’t need, and streamline what you do.
Plus they’ll also help to create space-saving storage and put systems in place to save you time and money in the future.
“Whether you have a new baby on the way, want to run a business from home, find it hard to let go of sentimental items or just want to create calm in the chaos, we’d love to hear from you,” producers said in a casting call on the BBC website.
Does this process sounds like something you could benefit from then? Producers of the hit show are looking for families or shared households to take part in a potential future series.
Emily Sergeant -
12th October 2021 
