Monday, October 02, 2023

Former University of Leicester director of communications to sue Steve Coogan over his portrayal in The Lost King

The Sun's archaeology correspondent writes:

Actor Steve Coogan is being sued over claims he portrayed a university ­academic as a “sexist bully” in a film.

Coogan, 57, co-wrote and starred in 2022’s The Lost King, about the quest to uncover the remains of ­Richard III a decade earlier.

Now a member of the Leicester University team that located his final resting place beneath a car park in the city is suing the star for defamation.

Richard Taylor said: “I’m portrayed as a bullying, ­cynical, double-crossing, devious manipulator which is bad.

“But when you add I behave in a sexist way and a way that seems to mock Richard III’s disabilities, you get into the realm of defamation.”

Mr Taylor said he tried to get changes but producers refused.

For some background on this affair, have a look at a post of mine from a year ago. It's worth following the link to British Archaeology magazine to download the pdf of Mike Pitts's full article.

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