Steve Coogan settles libel claim made by academic over ‘The Lost King’ movie
An academic is set to receive substantial damages over his portrayal in the Steve Coogan film, The Lost King.
The movie, which was released in 2022 and was also co-written by Coogan, explores the story of how the remains of King Richard III were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012.
University of Leicester academic Richard Taylor, who Lee Ingleby plays in The Lost King, filed a lawsuit in 2024 regarding his portrayal of the movie, which he described as “misogynistic” and “weasel-like”. The filing was made against Coogan, as well as his production company Baby Cow and Pathe Production.
The case was set to head to trial, but has now been settled outside of court. Judge Jaron Lewis previously ruled in June that the film “knowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public” and acknowledged there could also be a case for defamation.
Speaking to the BBC, Taylor said outside the Royal Courts of Justice on October 27th: “I’m really pleased that we have finally established that the film is a defamatory portrayal of me – baseless in its depiction of me and a distortion of the search for Richard III.”
He continued, “And I don’t let that detract from what was a fantastic piece of teamwork, a collaborative experience where university academics and amateurs came together to search for Richard III.”
Taylor then hailed it “fantastic” that “we have established in court that The Lost King is a misleading, defamatory, untrue portrayal of what happened in Leicester back in back in 2012″.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jennings, defamation partner at Shakespeare Martineau, who defended Taylor in court, labelled the victory as a “defamation David and Goliath moment”, before adding, “Individuals often feel unable to speak up against large corporations and well-known personalities, but this win demonstrates that there is recourse when wrongs have been committed.”
After settling the lawsuit, Pathe Productions, Baby Cow Productions and Steve Coogan said in a joint statement, “As a distributor and producer recognised for bringing complex, real-life stories to audiences, we are deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with such portrayals and approach each project with care, integrity, and a commitment to authenticity.”
Nevertheless, they insisted, “We remain incredibly proud of this film and are pleased this matter has now been settled.”
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