Signings cancelled amid concerns over TV drama reaction
Savile role ‘was not easy decision’
VIEWERS have been left disturbed by Middleton’s Steve Coogan’s portrayal of serial sex offender Jimmy Savile in BBC drama The Reckoning.
It has now emerged that the 57-year-old, who is widely known for playing Alan Partridge, has canned upcoming book signings over concerns of a public backlash to him playing Savile.
Steve was due to appear in character as Partridge to promote his new book Big Beacon.
“Steve’s team were aware of the highly sensitive nature of the BBC drama and how it could jar with him getting into character as Alan for his book,” a source told The Sun.
Playing Savile in The Reckoning was not an easy decision for Steve to make, who was first announced to be taking on the role in 2020.
He told the BBC ahead of the show’s release: “It wasn’t enjoyable, it was a professional challenge that I wanted to take on .... I knew there was the potential for catastrophic failure if you get it wrong, but that’s not a reason not
to do it.” Over the course of his career Steve, who was born in Middleton, has had a wide range of different parts.
Despite initially starting out as a comic actor, he has since appeared a number of more serious roles such as films Philomena, Stan & Laurel and Marie Antoinette.
Steve began his career as a voice actor in the ‘80s, first appearing on satirical puppet show Spitting Image and providing voice-overs for television advertisements.
It’s his role as Alan Partridge that most people will know him from, though.
Partridge is a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality.
He’s a character that Steve developed while working with Armando Iannucci on On the Hour and The Day Today.
The character has been used in a variety of television programmes and in 2013, he also appeared in his own feature film, Alan
Partridge: Alpha Papa.
But who has Steve been in relationships with, does he have any children and what is his net worth?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Steve Coogan’s love life: In 2002, Steve tied the knot with British socialite Caroline Hickman.
The couple were together for three years before they separated in
2005.
The actor then went on to date British-born American actress China Chow from 2007 until their split three years later.
In 2011, while Steve was guest editing Loaded magazine, he met glamour model Elle Basey.
The pair dated until
2014.
In February 2019, it was reported that Steve had struck up a romance with TV presenter Melanie Sykes.
The couple were linked for 10 months before going their separate ways in December the same year.