Who is Dan Davies, as seen in Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning?
Davies plays a major role in the narrative of the new BBC drama.
New BBC drama The Reckoning tells the harrowing true story surrounding the crimes of Jimmy Savile, with Steve Coogan playing the disgraced DJ and TV presenter.
The drama features four of his real-life survivors, who bookend each of the episodes with their stories of abuse at the hands of Savile.
The Reckoning also features a number of other major characters, including Beryl, played by Siobhan Finneran, and Dan Davies, who is seen interviewing Savile on numerous occasions.
But just who is Dan Davies and who plays him in the drama? Read on for everything you need to know about Dan Davies, as seen in The Reckoning.
Who is Dan Davies?
Dan Davies is a journalist who, in 2004, was first sent to interview Savile for a magazine, having become curious about him ever since he was nine years old and witnessed the filming of an episode of Jim'll Fix It.
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The interview led to further magazine profiles, with interviews later lasting for "days, not hours", according to Davies, with the journalist even staying in the room Savile kept as a "shrine" to his mother Agnes.
After many interviews, Davies decided he wanted to write a biography of Savile, which the presenter was at first reluctant to as he wanted to control the narrative, but later agreed to.
In his last interview with Savile before his death, Davies reports that the presenter started telling him how adamant he was that Gary Glitter, who was imprisoned for sexual abuse charges involving minors, hadn't done anything wrong.
Savile died soon after, in 2011, with the revelations about his abuse coming the year after, in 2012.
Davies published a book about Savile's life and his own experiences with the man, In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile, in 2014.
In his career, Davies has been a journalist and editor writing for The Guardian, The Independent, The Mail on Sunday, The Economist, Esquire and many other publications.
His time interviewing Savile is dramatised in The Reckoning, with the team behind the series speaking with him as research for the show.
Executive producer Jeff Pope said that Savile was "so desperate for an audience that he entertained Dan Davies, who was writing a biography of him".
Pope continued: "Davies came close to the truth on a number of occasions. TV audiences could see similar happening with Louis Theroux... if you really move aside all the 'now then, now then' and Tarzan noises, you actually can see that he’s getting close to admitting stuff."
Meanwhile, writer Neil McKay explained that they "could have included other interviews with him from over the years, but chose to focus on his interviews with Dan Davies, which helped to structure the series".
He continued: "The character of Davies brought a questioning presence, and Savile’s answers to him in the drama show Savile as an unreliable narrator to his own life. We counterpoint the dishonest narration that he gives with the reality from the survivors."
Who plays Dan Davies in The Reckoning?
In The Reckoning, Davies is played by Mark Stanley, who has previously had roles in series including including Game of Thrones, Dickensian, Sanditon, The Bay, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, Happy Valley and Trigger Point.
He has also appeared in the films Mr Turner and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Reckoning is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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