Savile committed many of his crimes at hospitals over several decades
Viewers of The Reckoning were left sickened after watching a scene from the opening episode involving Jimmy Savile at a hospital.
Last night (October 10), the first episode of the four-part drama aired on BBC One. The series looks at the life and crimes of Savile, who was found out to be one of the most notorious paedophiles and sex offenders in history after his death in 2011.
The series stars Steve Coogan as the disgraced DJ and Top of the Pops presenter, with the actor receiving widespread praise for his “skin-crawlingly” accurate portrayal of Savile.
But one scene in particular left viewers particularly uncomfortable.
During the episode, we see Savile visit a hospital dressed in a court jester costume, and talk to a young girl in a hospital bed who is waiting for treatment.
After initially being pleased to see Savile, who makes her laugh, things take a sickening turn as he asks her to check his pockets to “help look for my juggling balls.”
As the girl puts her hand in his pocket, Savile then grabs her hand and places it on his crotch area.
The traumatised girl then leaps up from her bed and runs to the bathroom crying, refusing to come out of the cubicle until Savile has gone.
A number of viewers took to X to voice their horror at the scene.
One person wrote: “I know this series was going to hit hard, but it has actually made me sick to my stomach tonight watching this. I’ll give it to Steve Coogan – he is an incredible actor. It’s as though you’re literally watching Savile in all his evil action.”
Another said that the hospital scene was the “absolute worst,” with someone else adding that it was “very hard to watch.”
Writing for MyLondon, reviewer Angie Quinn singled out the hospital scene as a particularly harrowing moment from the series.
She highlighted that the nurse’s reassurance to the girl that Savile’s action were him “only being Jimmy”, will have been are words that “many victims would horrifyingly be familiar with.”
Savile carried out a lot of charity work for hospitals, and this was where he committed many of his crimes, using his charity work and connections in the police and media to cover up his atrocities.
An investigation launched following his death found that he had sexually assaulted 177 patients aged between the ages of 5 and 75 across 41 numbers a number of hospitals over several decades.
The second episode of The Reckoning airs on BBC One at 9pm tonight (October 11). All four episodes are also available to watch now on iPlayer.
Related links:
Steve Coogan defends controversial Jimmy Savile role in BBC show
Jimmy Savile’s words when he entered Big Brother house will never be aired again
