The Reckoning: what did the BBC leave out of Jimmy Savile drama starring Steve Coogan?

Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning is set to air on BBC on Monday evening. The controversial four-part series tells the story of Savile's rise to becoming one of the most popular stars of UK television and focuses on his sexual abuse crimes and the impact he had on his victims - four of whom have waived their anonymity and feature in the drama series.

Written by Neil McKay (Four Lives), the role of Savile is played by Steven Coogan, who is best known for portraying the comedy character Alan Partridge. Coogan has openly discussed taking on the role, saying that he hopes viewers are reminded to "listen to victims and survivors” to avoid history repeating itself.

Savile died in October 2011 aged 84 having never been brought to justice. The portrayal of the BBC in the drama has been criticised by reporters for not thoroughly covering the channel's decision to drop a Newsnight report into his history of sexual abuse and instead airing a positive documentary about his life.

So, what did the BBC leave out of The Reckoning Jimmy Savile drama? Here's everything you need to know.

The Reckoning Jimmy Savile - what did the BBC leave out?

The creators of The Reckoning have faced criticism for their portrayal of the BBC's decision to drop a Newsnight investigation into Savile in December 2011, instead opting to air a positive documentary about his life called "How's About That Then?". The incident is briefly mentioned at the end of the series, with the Telegraph reporting that it has "omitted its cover-up".

Reported by the Independent, McKay defended their depiction of this side of the story, explaining it "would be a separate drama” in its own right as “it wouldn’t have belonged in the piece that we’ve done, important though it is”.

Why did the BBC drop the Newsnight investigation?

A Newsnight investigation into sexual abuse claims against Savile by reporter Liz MacKean and producer Meirion Jones was dropped in December 2011, with a positive documentary about the presenter airing instead called "How's About That Then?".

Speaking to the Commons culture committee in 2012, then BBC director general George Entwistle told MPs that the Newsnight investigation should not have been dropped.

Reported by the BBC at the time, he said: "There is no question that what Jimmy Savile did and the way the BBC behaved in the years - the culture and practices of the BBC seems to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did - will raise questions of trust for us and reputation for us.

"This is a gravely serious matter and one cannot look back at it with anything other than horror, frankly, that... his activities went on as long as they did undetected." When asked whether he now regretted running the tribute programme to Savile, he told MPs: "In the light of what's happening, of course I do."

Steve Coogan - what has he said about playing Jimmy Savile?

Coogan has opened up about his role as Savile ahead of the series release on Monday (October 9). He explained that he hoped it would remind viewers to “listen to victims and survivors” to avoid history repeating itself.

He continued: “The point that I hope people will take away is that they learn to listen to victims and survivors, and learn to take these things seriously. If you treat people with respect and we act together then you can avoid something like this from happening in the future.”

Coogan added: “The people who could have made things better were people in positions of power, and they are more culpable than the people who did not wield that power."