Jimmy Savile abuse survivor speaks out on what it was like to feature in new drama The Reckoning

One of the women abused by Jimmy Savile has spoken out about what it's like featuring in The Reckoning.

This is what she had to say:

The long-awaited series starts tonight (9 October) and sees Steve Coogan play the paedophile DJ who assaulted countless people over the course of decades.

It follows his rise from the dance halls of Leeds and Manchester to one of the biggest stars at the BBC.

Sam Brown was attacked by Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and is portrayed in the new series as well as advising on production on The Reckoning.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Brown opened up about seeing the actor dressed as her abuser for the first time.

"It was a graveyard scene," she said. "He began to walk up to us, and inside of my head [I] was screaming, 'Just give me a minute'.

ITV

"I [thought] I was doing all of this in my head, not realising it was coming out of my mouth.

"And then Steve [Coogan] said, ‘Sam I’m in dress, I’m in character, I'm not him, remember, I'm acting'.

"It took me a few minutes to be okay, but it was a weird thing because it came from inside of me, it wasn't a conscious thought and I had to put my hands up and I was saying, 'Stop'.

"I didn’t even know I was doing it, I felt so embarrassed about that."

One of the hosts then told Ms Brown: "How can you say you’re not brave? It’s so brave to put yourself through this for others."

To which she said: "That's not bravery, that's my job because I feel strong enough.

"For all the people that are never going to say anything, they sit at home and turn over in their head how do they feel? Why are they reacting like this? Why are they parenting like that? Why did everyone hate on them as teenagers because people thought they were unruly?

BBC

"It's them people that won't tell anyone, but I want them to know, that's all really normal."

Speaking previously about The Reckoning, which has been heavily criticised by some over its dramatisation of Savile and his crimes, Ms Brown said it was strange seeing herself played by someone else.

The 56-year-old said: “I was dreading it and the funny thing was, when we watched it, it was really hard to believe it was me. But I felt so sorry for that little girl. My heart broke for that little girl.

“But I had a week and finally I accepted the fact that she was me and I was her.”

The Reckoning is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer today (9 October).

Topics: Jimmy Savile, UK News, Crime, TV and Film

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom