Comedian set to star in Richard III film
Alan Partridge funnyman has confirmed his role in movie
COMEDIAN Steve Coogan has confirmed he is to star in a film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III in a Leicester car park.
He has also written the film, entitled The Lost King, which is about how historian Phillipa Langley was instrumental in finding the last Plantagenet.
The remains of the king were found under a car park in St Martins, in the city centre in 2013, which is now the home of the King Richard III visitor centre.
Following DNA analysis, the remains were confirmed to be Richard’s by scientists and archaeologists from the University of Leicester.
Coogan told Zoe Ball on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show that filming would begin in 2021.
He said: “Next year we’re shooting a film about the woman who found the body of Richard III in a car park in Leicester.
“I play her husband.” Initially on the show, Ball misheard him and thought he was playing Langley herself.
Coogan responded: “Twenty years ago I would have been playing her. But these days we’re not allowed to do that.
“I thought I’ll play the man instead.” Rumours about the upcoming film have been circulating since 2017, when Coogan visited the visitor centre in the city along with collaborator Jeff Pope.
At the time, chairman of the centre’s board of trustees Martin Traynor said the pair had not said what the purpose of their visit was at the time but it now appeared clear.
He said: “It looks like they were doing a recce and some research.
“To be honest, Richard’s discovery was such an amazing story someone was eventually going to write a story about it.
“Steve Coogan is a really funny comedian and it will be interesting to see what he does with it.
“It will be fantastic profile for the city and the centre if the film goes ahead.
“I do hope however that they stick as closely as possible to the facts of what happened.”