Tag: Steve Coogan

  • Steve Coogan to star in ‘The Penguin Lessons’ adaptation

    By Express News Service

    Steve Coogan will star in an adaptation of The Penguin Lessons, a bestselling memoir, for a production company. The adaptation will be directed by Oscar nominee Peter Cattaneo.

    Written by Tom Michell, The Penguin Lessons (2016) is the memoir of his time teaching English at an Argentinian boy’s school in the late 70s. It was a time when the country recovered from the fall of Juan Perón’s regime. During this time, Juan Salvador, a Magellanic penguin Michell adopted when it was hurt in an oil accident, remained by his side constantly. The story follows Michell and Juan Salvador as they develop relationships with Michell’s students, some of whom seemed unteachable, and as they gain valuable life lessons from one another.

    The Penguin Lessons will be produced by Robert Walak along with partners in 42 Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Jeff Pope wrote the script, and he will executive produce with partners in 42 Josh Varney, Josh Horsfield, and author Michell. At the forthcoming European Film Market, The Penguin Lessons will be for sale.

    Meanwhile, Steve Coogan’s next appearance will be in the upcoming BBC drama The Reckoning, which will feature him as Jimmy Savile, a well-known British TV presenter whose public demeanour concealed a long list of heinous sex offences.

    Steve Coogan will star in an adaptation of The Penguin Lessons, a bestselling memoir, for a production company. The adaptation will be directed by Oscar nominee Peter Cattaneo.

    Written by Tom Michell, The Penguin Lessons (2016) is the memoir of his time teaching English at an Argentinian boy’s school in the late 70s. It was a time when the country recovered from the fall of Juan Perón’s regime. During this time, Juan Salvador, a Magellanic penguin Michell adopted when it was hurt in an oil accident, remained by his side constantly. The story follows Michell and Juan Salvador as they develop relationships with Michell’s students, some of whom seemed unteachable, and as they gain valuable life lessons from one another.

    The Penguin Lessons will be produced by Robert Walak along with partners in 42 Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Jeff Pope wrote the script, and he will executive produce with partners in 42 Josh Varney, Josh Horsfield, and author Michell. At the forthcoming European Film Market, The Penguin Lessons will be for sale.

    Meanwhile, Steve Coogan’s next appearance will be in the upcoming BBC drama The Reckoning, which will feature him as Jimmy Savile, a well-known British TV presenter whose public demeanour concealed a long list of heinous sex offences.

  • Steve Coogan to play sex offender Jimmy Savile in BBC One drama

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Actor Steve Coogan has been roped in to essay the role of sex offender Jimmy Savile in a miniseries about the disgraced English television personality known for hosting “Top of the Pops”.

    The BBC One drama titled “The Reckoning” is written by Neil McKay.

    According to Variety, the story will centre on Savile’s life from his childhood to after his death in 2011, when he was ultimately found to have abused more than 500 children.

    “To play Jimmy Savile was not a decision I took lightly. Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively an horrific story which -however harrowing- needs to be told,” Coogan said.

    “The Reckoning” will be directed by Sandra Goldbacher, while Jeff Pope will serve as executive producer. ITV Studios is producing the miniseries. Savile rose from working class background to become one of the most famous personalities on television. He hosted “Top of the Pops,” the popular music chart program, from its 1964 premiere to late ’80s. From 1975 to 1994, he also hosted ‘Jim’ll Fix It,’where he granted the wishes described in letters mostly written by children.

    As per the makers the series will explore both Savile’s rise to fame and his final years fighting rumours about his private life, exploring how the presenter “used his celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his wrongdoings and to hide in plain sight”.