{"id":107010,"date":"2025-10-27T18:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/107010\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:00:08","slug":"steve-coogan-settles-libel-claim-over-richard-iii-film-the-lost-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/107010\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Coogan Settles Libel Claim Over Richard III Film ‘The Lost King’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSteve Coogan<\/a> has settled a libel claim over 2022\u2019s The Lost King after a university academic sued over his depiction in the film.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe British actor-comedian wrote and starred in the drama following the hunt for King Richard III\u2019s remains in 2012. But a University of Leicester employee named Richard Taylor later sued Coogan \u2014\u00a0as well as his production outfit Baby Cow and Path\u00e9 Productions \u2014\u00a0over what he called a defamatory, \u201cmisogynistic\u201d and \u201cweasel-like\u201d portrayal. Taylor, then the deputy registrar of the University of Leicester, was played in the film by English actor Lee Ingleby.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn June, a U.K. judge ruled that the film portrayed the claimant having \u201cknowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public\u201d about the discovery, and as being \u201csmug, unduly dismissive and patronizing,\u201d which could be defamatory. The case was set to go to trial.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut on Monday, it was announced Taylor was successful in his claim and had settled with the parties involved, including Coogan. He is to be awarded \u201csubstantial damages\u201d following the court ruling. \u201cI\u2019m really pleased that we have finally established that the film is a defamatory portrayal of me \u2014 baseless in its depiction of me and a distortion of the search for Richard III,\u201d Taylor told BBC News<\/a> outside the London court.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn The Lost King, Sally Hawkins stars as Philippa Langley, the real-life researcher who led the initiative and was eventually successful in locating Richard III\u2019s centuries-old skeleton under an English parking lot.<\/p>\n

\n\tCoogan plays John Langley, Philippa\u2019s estranged husband. Ingleby\u2019s portrayal of Richard Taylor is written as initially dismissive of Langley\u2019s project but who later is an enthusiastic supporter, though he omits Langley from the press conference announcing the results to the world.<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the ruling, Coogan stressed in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the focus be kept on Langley\u2019s achievements in finding Richard III\u2019s remains. \u201cIt is unfortunate that due to [Langley\u2019s] ill health we were unable to put evidence before the court so that the judge could independently come to a decision on the matter, which I would have preferred,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPhilippa Langley instigated the search for Richard III. Philippa Langley insisted on the dig in the Northern area of the social services carpark where the remains were found. Philippa Langley raised the majority of the money for his exhumation \u2014 if it wasn\u2019t for Philippa Langley, Richard III would still lying under a carpark in Leicester,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt is her name that will be remembered in relation to the discovery of the lost king, long after Richard Taylor has faded into obscurity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe only changes to the film, he added, will be a front card following the existing card which says that the film is a true story. \u201c[It will say] PHILIPPA LANGLEY\u2019S STORY,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat is the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI won\u2019t be commenting further at this stage as I consult with lawyers on the inflammatory comments made by Richard Taylor about me personally,\u201d Coogan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steve Coogan has settled a libel claim over 2022\u2019s The Lost King after a university academic sued over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,93,61,1042,60,65578,274,303],"class_list":{"0":"post-107010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-international","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-pathe-productions","14":"tag-steve-coogan","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}