Steve Coogan’s film Richard III defames university administrator Richard Taylor – judge

A film depicting the discovery of Richard III’s remains could be seen as defamatory of a former University of Leicester official, a judge has ruled.

Richard Taylor, the university’s former deputy registrar, is suing actor Steve Coogan and both Pathé and Baby Cow production companies over his portrayal in the film. The lost kingwhich was released in 2022. Mr. Coogan produced, co-wrote and starred in the film.

The film is told from the perspective of Philippa Langley, one of the figures who led to the discovery of remains under a car park in Leicester in 2012. The real Mr Taylor, now director of operations at Loughborough University, has claimed that his character is being portrayed. just as dismissive and misogynistic about Ms. Langley and taking credit for her work.

The defendants alleged that Mr Taylor “publicly exaggerated” the university’s role in locating the remains and “marginalised” Ms Langley’s role and was at times “disparaging and unduly favouritism” towards her.

Judge Lewis Lewis ruled in Mr Taylor’s favor on June 14, saying the character Mr Taylor was portrayed “in a negative light” throughout the film.

“At no time was it shown in a way that could be described as positive or even neutral,” the judge wrote in the ruling. “Taken together, the film makes a powerful comment about the plaintiff and how he behaved when he took on a senior professional role for a university.”

However, the judge said, he did not think a “reasonable viewer” would come away targeting Mr Taylor as misogynistic or disabled, a reference to a part of the film where the character impersonates a hunchback.

The judge concludes: “The poor manner in which (Mr Taylor) was described as behaving towards Ms Langley was contrary to the common shared values ​​of our society and would have been recognized as such by the reasonable hypothetical bystander.”

This ruling means the case can now proceed to a full trial.

The University of Leicester previously released a statement claiming the film contained “many inaccuracies” and that the production team “took no steps” to establish the facts with Mr Taylor.

“We understand that the portrayal of Richard Taylor in the film bears no resemblance to the reality of this period while he was employed by the University of Leicester,” a university spokesman said. “Our record indicates that a colleague engages constructively, collegially, fairly and professionally throughout the project.”

After the film’s release in 2022, a spokesperson for the filmmakers told the BBC: “We stand by our film and Philippa’s narrative. The University and Richard Taylor have a different narrative, much of which is factually incorrect.”

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