Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had a strong connection with paedophile Jimmy Savile, the TV presenter and DJ who abused hundeds of people over his decades in the public eye and used his influence and fame to silence his victims. The horrific story is currently airing as a docudrama, The Reckoning, on BBC One and iPlayer and the actress who has taken on the role of Thatcher in the series has been leaving viewers in awe of her accurate turn as the Tory head.
But who is the actress behind this iteration of Thatcher and why would you recognise her? Turns out, the woman portraying the former Tory PM has been part of one of the country's favourite Sunday night dramas - Call the Midwife.
Actress Fenella Woolgar is best known for playing Call the Midwife's Sister Hilda in the 1960s-set drama, between 2018 and 2022. She's now come out from behind the wimple and donned a blue suit and bouffant hairdo to play Thatcher opposite Steve Coogan's Savile.
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In The Reckoning viewers saw Savile join the Thatchers for Christmas Day and ask for help to fund Stoke Mandeville's spinal injuries unit. In 1980 she sponsored him as the lead fundraiser and commissioning project manager for a £10m campaign to rebuild the spinal injuries unit (NSIC) at the hospital. It was also Thatcher who persisted in lobbying for Savile to get a knighthood.
In 2015 a report into Savile's activities across the NHS found that he had used his status and access to abuse 60 people over two decades, as reported here in The Guardian. Some of those abused were as young as eight.
Why have the BBC made The Reckoning? Read their explanation, here. And for TV viewers' reaction to Coogan as Savile, click here.
Actress Fenella is the latest in a long line of actresses to portray Thatcher on the big and small screen, including Gillian Anderson in The Crown, Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady and Lindsay Duncan in Margaret. As well as Call the Midwife, Fenella has also appeared in Doctor Who, Inside No9, Midsomer Murders, Vera Drake and Bright Young Things.
Viewers of The Reckoning were impressed with Fenella's portrayal of the former PM who was ousted by her own party in 1990. One wrote: "Fenella Woolgar is turning my stomach, her portrayal of Thatcher is uncanny. #TheReckoning."
On X (Twitter), another viewer said: "There have been many portrayals of Maggie Thatcher but none so uncannily accurate in voice, cadence, walk and mannerisms as Fenella Woolgar in #TheReckoning." A third person echoed: "The only things creepier than Steve Coogans' stellar performance and appearance were the Maggie Thatcher scenes. #TheReckoning #bbc."
The Reckoning is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
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