The Reckoning review: Jimmy Savile drama is an unrelentingly grim watch

It is, as you'd expect, a relentlessly grim, nauseating and blood-boiling watch.

How on earth did he make the leap from dance hall DJ to a one-man institution with unfettered access to do whatever he wanted in hospitals, schools, children's homes, and even the BBC studios where he filmed Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It.

The question that viewers will have as they sit down to watch is: do writer Neil McKay (Four Lives, Appropriate Adult) and executive producer Jeff Pope (Four Lives, Appropriate Adult) hold the BBC, which made Savile a household name, to account?

Are those who enabled him despite the growing swell of ghoulish rumours about his conduct also placed under the microscope?

Fail to do that and The Reckoning fails to do its job, in turn rendering it futile.

McKay does take aim at the BBC throughout the four-part series, which charts Savile's meteoric rise to the top, including his friendship with Margaret Thatcher, his OBE, and his knighthood both here in the UK and from the Pope.

We also witness his waning popularity, during which time he is interviewed by journalist Dan Davies (played here by Mark Stanley) for his book In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile.

Michael Jibson's broadcasting executive Bill Cotton, who was instrumental in giving Savile career-making opportunities within the corporation, is warned about him on more than one occasion by a female colleague, but her concerns are not heeded. And there are others within the BBC who furthered his career in spite of the growing noise surrounding him.

One employee says to Savile that he had never personally witnessed any such behaviour that was cause for concern, a staggering comment in and of itself, but also, you didn't have to look far to see it. That same employee also acknowledges that the rumblings of extreme misconduct could well be true, another shocking statement. It's more than any of the other men who worked with the presenter were willing to say, but that's as far as that goes.

The suicide of 15-year-old Claire McAlpine in 1971 is also referenced through the fictional character of Sara. McAlpine had written a diary entry before she overdosed about having sex with a Top of the Pops presenter, which prompted bosses to question Savile following her mother's complaints to the BBC and the story being picked up by the press. But he did what he continued to do until his last breath: point blank deny he had done anything of the sort, then, or ever.

There was an internal investigation of sorts in response but as we know, Savile remained a key part of the BBC long past the '70s.

The drama also acknowledges the scrapping of the Newsnight report on allegations about Savile a month or so before the BBC aired tributes to him, which says all you need to know about what shape it was in at that time.

But while the organisation certainly doesn't come out of The Reckoning in good shape – the processes that were supposedly in place to protect people from dangerous individuals like Savile were extremely lax to the point of being non-existent – some might feel that it isn't quite damning enough, acknowledging that mistakes were made, but not being explicit enough in its rebuke of the BBC.

What the script does effectively, however, is illustrate how Savile hid in plain sight. There's a scene when journalist David Frost asks him about the meaning behind a provocative statement emblazoned on a top he's wearing, and he answers: "To give victims fair warning."

His brazenness is already well-documented, but to see it play out again through Steve Coogan's portrayal will leave you aghast. It was all there, out in the open.

Read more:

• The Reckoning producer: "We have to explore stories like Jimmy Savile"
• Steve Coogan explains BBC's "correct" choice to tackle Jimmy Savile story

One tactic Savile used whenever a fresh allegation surfaced was to label himself a "ladies man", openly admitting to enjoying sex – a tactic that has been used by other famous predators – and there was certainly no shortage of young women who would queue up outside his dressing room for an autograph, or to simply be in his company.

It was always "good, clean fun", according to Savile, and that word, "fun", is eerily repeated by him throughout the drama.

But as devious as he was, we see how the culture at that time protected and rewarded him, with individuals such as hospital porter and childhood friend Charles Hulligan (Mark Lewis Jones) turning a blind eye at his own place of work, despite being concerned – and a "decent man", as his wife Beryl (Siobhan Finneran) describes him.

She also felt unable to tell her husband what she'd witnessed, let alone the authorities.

The Reckoning is also effective in conveying the damage inflicted on Savile's victims. Four people he abused are portrayed both by actors in their younger years and as adults, and as talking heads, which is an unexpected detail.

As well as looking at how various institutions protected Savile, knowingly or unknowingly, this is their story, too, and it's vital that we hear Sam Brown talking about how challenging it can be to just "breathe" at times, such is the weight of the trauma he inflicted.

But while the series has noble aims, there are countless moments throughout in which we see Savile using his physicality to overpower his victims. There's also a scene in which he slips into a room at a hospital morgue and interferes with the deceased female.

Do those incidents need to be depicted, or is it enough to simply allude to what happens next given what we already know? When does the dignity of the victims come at the expense of grisly entertainment?

Less can sometimes be more, which also should have been applied to the dialogue in certain scenes. As Savile's health continues to deteriorate, with the end nigh, he's asked by a priest at the hospital if he has any sins he wants to confess. He was raised in a strict Catholic household and would regularly attend Mass. But he has nothing he wishes to get off his chest.

"You just couldn't do it, could you?" says a staff member as they're helping him into his car.

A damning, knowing look would have sufficed but instead, the moment is overwrought.

Certain stylistic choices made during the scenes when the real-life victims are depicted in their adult years also play out like Crimewatch reconstructions, which lessens their impact.

Another detail that doesn't quite translate is Savile's so-called "aura", a word which crops up on multiple occasions, but that's not necessarily the fault of the writing or Coogan's performance. Communicating that mystical, intangible quality, which was central to his abuse, is challenging when you're stood at a distance, and particularly with someone who presented as Savile did.

For younger viewers who weren't alive or were too young when he was at his zenith, it can be hard to fathom his success.

But Coogan, who is probably the only person capable of playing him, has clearly done the work to capture the man. While it might have initially appeared to be an impossible role, Savile was, in many ways, pantomime and a caricature, which Coogan, as a first-rate impressionist, and someone who has done impressions of Savile in the past, could grasp onto.

The Reckoning isn't perfect, but McKay and Pope have delivered a drama that justifies its existence, which is crucial. As we've seen time and time again, countless institutions are continuing to fail in their duty of care to those they should protect.

When one of the real-life victims pleads: "Don't let this ever happen again. Please," it is a stark reminder that there is still so much work to be done on a cultural level. Take a step back and the fallout out will be catastrophic.

Savile wasn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last.

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, visit the NHS website or Victim Support for information and support.

The Reckoning premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on Monday 9th October 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.