Steve Coogan to Spotlight BBC’s Shady Past as Infamous Sex Criminal and TV Host Jimmy Savile

Comedian Steve Coogan has chosen to tackle one of the most disturbing cases in U.K. television history. The Alan Partridge creator has signed on to play Jimmy Savile in a BBC One drama called The Reckoning. Savile was one of the most beloved television stars in the U.K. After his death in 2011, it was revealed that he sexually abused hundreds of children during his career. It was also revealed that executives at the BBC may have been aware of his crimes during the 1960s and 1970s.

The Reckoning is produced by Clare Shepherd and ITV Studios and was written by Neil McKay and Jeff Pope. Pope is an executive producer, with Sandra Goldbacher directing every episode. The series will track Savile from his early years as a dance hall performer, his successful days at the BBC, and his last years when he tried to stop rumors from ruining his legacy. “To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly,” Coogan said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively a horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told.”

“The purpose of this drama is to explore how Savile’s offending went unchecked for so long, and in shining a light on this, to ensure such crimes never happen again,” Pope added. “Steve Coogan has a unique ability to inhabit complex characters and will approach this role with the greatest care and integrity.” Goldbacher called the project a “unique opportunity to give Savile’s survivors, the people who inspired this project, a voice.”

When Savile died in 2011 at age 84, he was celebrated for his career as the host of the BBC’s Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix It, as well as for his quirky eccentricities. However, weeks after his death, BBC’s Newsnight put together an episode about allegations Savile sexually abused and molested children, but BBC executives refused to air it. In 2012, ITV aired its own investigation, which completely changed how Savile was viewed. Now, it is understood that Savile was a pedophile who used his charity work as a cover. Although there were rumors when Savile was alive, he often threatened legal action against anyone who attempted to investigate him, notes The Guardian.

Coogan is best known for creating the character Alan Partridge with Armando Iannucci. He recently played Stan Laurel in Stan & Ollie and starred in the comedy Greed last year. In 2012, he starred in Philomena, which he also co-wrote with Pope and co-produced. The film earned Coogan and Pope an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture.