What we know about the BBC Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning:

The Reckoning will see the BBC explore the horrific history of Jimmy Savile, the disgraced BBC presenter who preyed upon young women and girls for decades.

Saville hosted shows like Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It during his career, and it was only after he died in 2011 at the age of 84 that his crimes as a child sex abuser and sex offender over six decades became public knowledge.

Hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were made against Savile, and public opinion of the presenter who was once hailed as a national icon soon changed.

Read more: Why is The Reckoning so controversial?

As the chilling drama prepares to air, here is everything that you need to know.

When is The Reckoning on TV?

All four episodes of The Reckoning are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.

BBC One will broadcast the first two episodes at 9pm on Monday, 9 October and Tuesday, 10 October. The final two episodes will be shown at the same time on Monday, 16 October and Tuesday, 17 October.

What are critics saying about The Reckoning?

The Reckoning has received mixed reviews from critics following its launch. Yahoo's critic Jack Shepherd called Steve Coogan's portray of Savile "uncanny" and "skin-crawling", while the Evening Standard called the series "sensitively handled and devastatingly effective.

However, The Telegraph argued that the BBC should have never made the drama, and The Independent said the show feels "like a parade of villainy without a point to make".

Yahoo TV UK: BBC's Jimmy Savile drama is a horrific and unsettling watch (3-min read)

The Guardian: This Jimmy Savile drama contains some of TV’s most shocking scenes (4-min read)

The Telegraph: Coogan’s Savile is evil personified – but the BBC should not have made this (7-min read)

The Independent: BBC’s Jimmy Savile drama is a parade of villainy without a point to make (4-min read)

Evening Standard: This harrowing story about Jimmy Savile demands to be seen (7-min read)

What happens in The Reckoning?

A four-part factual drama, The Reckoning will examine Savile's life and how he came to be one of the most influential people in the UK, and how he used this to conceal his crimes.

Savile used his involvement with hospitals, charities, prisons, the BBC and more as a way to cement his celebrity status, but tragically it was at these institutions that he would also target his victims.

The BBC has highlighted that the show will explore Savile's actions because "it is important to understand how he was able to hide in plain sight in order to gain a greater understanding of how he evaded justice.

"The drama aims to highlight the importance of confronting the horrors of the past and talking openly about abuse."

Since it was first announced, the show has drawn some criticism from the public but the BBC is said to be treating the subject matter with extreme caution.

Read more: Steve Coogan expected 'antipathy' over Jimmy Savile role

The BBC has since explained that as well as its dramatisation of events the show will feature interviews from survivors of Savile's abuse, who will share their stories on-camera in order to try and prevent something similar from happening again.

Who is in The Reckoning cast?

Steve Coogan will be portraying Savile onscreen and a first look image showed him in character as he wore the reviled DJ's iconic red tracksuit and smoked a cigar, as his real-life counterpart would often do.

In a previous interview on Lorraine, Coogan said he had found it a difficult decision to join the show but said: "I certainly understand the revulsion people have for him — a natural revulsion. I think as with all difficult subject matter, it’s better to talk about it than to not talk about it."

Coogan added that in the show "people are held accountable, including the BBC" and added that the show will be "informative and educational" and there will be "no whitewash in this drama".

The actor will be joined in the cast by Gemma Jones, Siobhan Finneran, Mark Lewis Jones, and Mark Stanley.

Is there a trailer for The Reckoning?

The first trailer for The Reckoning arrived in September, giving us our first proper look at Coogan's take on this infamous pop-culture figure.

Packing a lot into just 36 seconds, the brief teaser seemingly mixes real-life testimonials with scenes chronicling Saville's rise in the public eye, with sinister flashes of the monster that lurks behind the scenes.

Watch it below:

The Reckoning will debut on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, 9 October