I watched all of The Reckoning and thought it was very well-written, carefully researched, balanced, and extremely powerful.
From the videos I have seen on YouTube, it's an accurate portrayal of how Jimmy Savile hid in plain sight, using his personality and platform to abuse vulnerable people around him, then completely hoodwink the authorities.
It was a very brave role for Steve Coogan to take and he is extremely convincing as Jimmy Savile with cannily accurate mannerisms and vocal intonations, compensating for the lack of a physical resemblance.
It's an important piece of TV with some of it quite tough to watch, though some scenes were tastefully handled in the way the director chose to leave the worst of Savile's excesses to your imagination rather than show them in an exploitative way.
I have also seen The Long Shadow which is a dramatisation of the police investigation into the 'Yorkshire Ripper.'
George Kay's writing is extremely well-judged, as is Lewis Arnold's direction as, like The Reckoning, this is never exploitative – it doesn't feature a single murder scene – as you only see the aftermath of Sutcliffe's crimes and the police effort into finding the culprit.
I didn't know much about the crimes and investigation, so this was very informative. I was very surprised at the length of Sutcliffe's murder spree and how the investigation was deeply flawed, impaired by police prejudice and a blinkered focus on minor details.
The Long Shadow is a quality drama series with brilliant period design, costumes, and make-up, and stellar performances by the ensemble cast, particularly Toby Jones, David Morrisey, Jack Deam, and Lee Ingleby.
All seven episodes are available on ITV X and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
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