‘Substantial damages’ awarded to academic over Steve Coogan Richard III film

A university academic is to be awarded “substantial damages” after a court ruled the portrayal of him in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of a Richard III’s remains did have a defamatory meaning.

Richard Taylor sued the comedian, who wrote the film The Lost King, as well as his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Production.

It was announced on Monday that Mr Taylor, who was unhappy about the way his character was portrayed, had been successful in his claim.

The film, which told the story of the search for the Plantagenet monarch under a Leicester council car park in 2012, will be changed and defamatory comments not repeated.

Mr Taylor launched High Court action claiming the film had made him appear “misogynistic” and “weasel-like”.

Speaking to the BBC outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the court’s decision, Mr Taylor said: “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.

“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.

“But it’s fantastic now, 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.”

The Lost King focused on the role of historian Philippa Langley in the search, which involved archaeologists from the University of Leicester.

Mr Taylor was the deputy registrar of the University of Leicester at the time and was later played in the film by actor Lee Ingleby.

In June, Judge Jaron Lewis ruled the film portrayed Mr Taylor as having “knowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public” about the discovery, and as being “smug, unduly dismissive and patronising”, which could be defamatory.

The case was due to proceed to trial, but lawyers for Mr Taylor told a hearing on Monday that the parties had settled the claim.

Daniel Jennings, defamation partner at Shakespeare Martineau, which represented Mr Taylor, described it as a “defamation David and Goliath moment”.

He said: “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.

“We live in an era of documentaries, podcasts and very public investigative journalism and there’s a growing trend for film and television productions to be labelled as ‘true accounts’ to grab audience attention and generate media buzz around new releases.

“Mr Taylor’s win should act as a real warning for anything looking to use those tactics.

“The law is very clear and there are defined routes to compensation for individuals who find themselves misrepresented.”

A joint statement from Pathe Productions, Baby Cow Productions and Steve Coogan added: “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.

“We remain incredibly proud of this film and are pleased this matter has now been settled.”