Steve Coogan’s film portrayal of university academic ruled defamatory

Steve Coogan’s film portrayal of a university academic has been ruled as defamatory.

The ‘Philomena’ actor, 58, was a writer on and producer of the 2022 movie ‘The Lost King’, which told of real-life history researcher Phillipa Langley going up against Richard Taylor in her mission to find the grave of Richard III in 2012, half a century after the king was killed.

Formerly a deputy registrar at the University of Leicester, Richard had sued Steve and his production company Baby Cow, as well as Pathe Productions – saying the portrayal of him in the film was an unfair caricature of a “suited bean-counter” who was “devious” and “weasel-like” as well as “patronising and misogynistic” to Phillipa, who was played by Sally Hawkins, 48, in the movie.

His Honour Judge Lewis ruled on Friday (14.06.24) morning the portrayal was defamatory and would have come across as negative to the “reasonable viewer”.

He added: “The character Mr Taylor was portrayed throughout the film in a negative light. At no point was he shown in a way that could be described as positive, or even neutral.

“Whilst an individual scene may not in itself cross the threshold of seriousness, taken together the film makes a powerful comment about the claimant and the way he conducted himself when undertaking a senior professional role for a university.

“The poor way in which he was depicted as behaving towards Ms Langley was contrary to common shared values of our society and would have been recognised as such by the hypothetical reasonable viewer.”

But the judge rejected Richard’s argument the hypothetical reasonable viewer would have come away thinking he was misogynist or sexist.

The ruling means the case can proceed to a full trial, where Steve, Baby Cow and Pathe Productions will have to defend the defamatory portrayal.

Richard’s lawyers, William Bennett KC and Victoria Jolliffe, argued their client had been presented as “dismissive, patronising and misogynistic” towards Phillipa Langley in the film.

Andrew Caldecott KC, acting for Steve and the two production companies, previously defended the portrayal of the academic by saying: “It is a feature film, not a documentary.

“It would be clear to the ordinary reasonable viewer that the film is not a documentary, it is a dramatisation of events.

“The concept of fictional films based on real events is not a new one.”