STEVE Coogan is set to play Savile in the new BBC One drama, The Reckoning.

The show will explore how the presenter manged to lead a double-life and become Britain’s most notorious paedophile.

But the announcement has been heavily criticised, with many questioning why they are still paying the BBC licence fee.

The Reckoning will look at Savile’s rise to fame and how he became one of the biggest names in TV and radio.

The broadcasters said the team were ‘working closely working closely with many people whose lives were impacted by Savile to ensure their stories are told with sensitivity and respect.’

Social media was alight with criticism highlighting the hypocrisy of the BBC, considering Savile worked for the broadcaster in the past.

One critic stated: ‘The BBC is going to stick two fingers up at his victims and sensationalise his life.’

Another said: ‘the BBC are truly sick and disturbing, making a Jimmy Savile ‘drama’ as if it wasn’t real people whose actual lives got destroyed by this monster.’

‘Pretty rich for the BBC to make a drama series about Jimmy Savile’ said another.

Another critic said: ‘Steve Coogan playing Jimmy Savile in a BBC documentary. Bad call by the BBC to do a doc like this when they're already under a lot of fire.’

When the series was initially announced, there was fierce backlash with Piers Wenger, controller of the drama saying that the story would not be sensationalised but rather give a voice to his victims.

Director Sandra Goldbacher said: “The Reckoning is a unique opportunity to give Savile’s survivors, the people who inspired this project, a voice.

Coogan said: “Neil McKay has written an intelligent script tackling sensitively an horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told.”

Savile, from Leeds, died in 2011 at age of 84 and was buried in a graveyard in Scarborough.

His headstone which has since been removed was engraved with the word ‘It was good whilst it lasted.’