Steve Coogan's film 'The Lost King', which tells the story of Richard III's discovery, was described as a "story I wanted to tell" by the comedian-actor after agreeing to settle a libel case with two production companies and the former University of Leicester deputy registrar, Richard Taylor.
Taylor had sued Coogan, Baby Cow Productions, and Pathe Productions over his portrayal in the 2022 film. He claimed that he was portrayed as "devious", "weasel-like" and a "suited bean-counter" in the movie, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley's search for Richard III's skeleton.
The High Court had previously ruled that the film portrayed Taylor as having "knowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public" about the find, and as being "smug, unduly dismissive and patronising", which had a defamatory meaning. The case was due to proceed to trial but lawyers for Taylor agreed to settle the claim, with Coogan, Baby Cow Productions, and Pathe Productions agreeing to pay substantial damages and make an on-screen clarification stating that the portrayal of Taylor was "fictional and does not represent the actions of the real Mr Taylor".
Coogan stated that he would have preferred a judicial ruling on the matter but was unable to attend court due to Langley's ill health. He acknowledged that Langley had instigated the search for Richard III, insisted on the dig in the area where the remains were found, and raised most of the money for his exhumation.
In an agreed statement to the court, Bennett for Taylor said that the depiction of him was untrue and caused serious harm to his professional and personal reputations. However, Taylor now claims that he has been vindicated after a "long and gruelling battle" and acknowledges Langley's remarkable contribution to the discovery.
Taylor had sued Coogan, Baby Cow Productions, and Pathe Productions over his portrayal in the 2022 film. He claimed that he was portrayed as "devious", "weasel-like" and a "suited bean-counter" in the movie, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley's search for Richard III's skeleton.
The High Court had previously ruled that the film portrayed Taylor as having "knowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public" about the find, and as being "smug, unduly dismissive and patronising", which had a defamatory meaning. The case was due to proceed to trial but lawyers for Taylor agreed to settle the claim, with Coogan, Baby Cow Productions, and Pathe Productions agreeing to pay substantial damages and make an on-screen clarification stating that the portrayal of Taylor was "fictional and does not represent the actions of the real Mr Taylor".
Coogan stated that he would have preferred a judicial ruling on the matter but was unable to attend court due to Langley's ill health. He acknowledged that Langley had instigated the search for Richard III, insisted on the dig in the area where the remains were found, and raised most of the money for his exhumation.
In an agreed statement to the court, Bennett for Taylor said that the depiction of him was untrue and caused serious harm to his professional and personal reputations. However, Taylor now claims that he has been vindicated after a "long and gruelling battle" and acknowledges Langley's remarkable contribution to the discovery.
I mean, he was saying that Coogan made him look bad, but it seems like he's changed his mind a bit since... I don't know, maybe he finally got tired of fighting? 
Anyway, I'm glad it's all sorted now, especially for Taylor. He did seem pretty worked up about the whole thing. Does anyone think that Taylor was trying to win public sympathy by going to court in the first place? 
The way Steve Coogan took responsibility for his portrayal of Richard Taylor in 'The Lost King' is total win for him 
. It's a big lesson learned for all the actors out there - fact-checking 101, am I right? 
Not to mention how brave Phil Taylor was to speak up and share his side of the story after years of being defamed 
. Can't wait to see this film again now that we know more about what really went down behind the scenes 
#JusticeForPhilTaylor #LostKing #FactCheckingMatters
can't believe this case even went to court in the first place. I mean, it's just a movie, right? and to settle with all parties involved and make an on-screen clarification... feels like such a waste of resources 
. Steve Coogan didn't exactly have a bad reputation for accuracy before, and Philippa Langley is basically the hero of this whole story anyway 
. So he pays damages and makes an on-screen statement about Taylor's character... that's fair, right? 50/50 split for the production companies too 
. It's interesting that Taylor is now saying Langley was a driving force behind the discovery, though 
. Stats show that Richard III's skeleton has been the most popular museum exhibit in Leicester since its display in 2012... over 1.5 million visitors so far 
! The film earned over $40m worldwide, and Coogan makes around $10m per year from his TV shows 
. Guess you could say it's a pretty "fair" settlement for everyone involved 
.
. But what really got me thinking is that Taylor was suing over being portrayed as 'devious' and stuff, which already sounds a bit off to me 
. Coogan did seem genuinely apologetic about it all, though 
. Anyways, just wondering how people's perceptions change with time 
.
so there was this libel case between Steve Coogan and Richard Taylor from Uni of Leicester... anyway Coogan made this movie about Richard III and Taylor sued him saying he was portrayed super badly in the film 