Filming for BBC Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning in Bolton

FILMING for a new four-part BBC One drama about disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile will get underway in Bolton this week, it is understood.

Mini-series, The Reckoning, will tell the story of how the former Jim'll Fix It star came from a working-class background to be one of the biggest stars in television.

It will also focus on Savile’s years of sexual abuse and the impact he had on his victims.

The drama, produced by ITV Studios for BBC One, will begin filming in Bolton next week causing some parking bays to be suspended.

On Thursday, film crews will begin preparations for filming at the former Bolton Magistrates Court on Le Mans Crescent.

Filming inside the old courthouse will begin on Friday with production crews moving back into the town centre on October 13 through to October 15.

This means there will be a number of parking spaces, on Le Mans Crescent and Cheadle Square, blocked off as film crews use the space.

Due to a small section of Le Mans Crescent being in shot, ITV Studios has also applied for permission to manage traffic and pedestrians on one day of filming, which is currently scheduled for Friday.

There will be times when pedestrians and traffic are asked to stop out of shot for a maximum of two to three minutes whilst filming takes place.

Actor and comedian Steve Coogan is to play Savile in the new BBC One drama.

Alan Partridge star Coogan said: “To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly.

“Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively a horrific story which, however harrowing, needs to be told.”

The makers of the programme were “working closely with many people whose lives were impacted by Savile to ensure their stories are told with sensitivity and respect”, the BBC said in a statement.

Director Sandra Goldbacher added: “The Reckoning is a unique opportunity to give Savile’s survivors, the people who inspired this project, a voice.

“I feel sure that Steve Coogan’s powerful performance as Savile will create a debate around how the cult of celebrity cloaked him from scrutiny.”

Savile died in 2011 aged 84, having never been brought to justice for his crimes.

He is now believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

A 2016 report into his abuse found staff at the BBC missed numerous opportunities to stop him.

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