High Court Rules Character Portrayal in Steve Coogan's 'The Lost King' Defamatory

Jun 14, 2024, 02:50 PM

A high court judge has ruled that the portrayal of a character in Steve Coogan's film 'The Lost King' is defamatory. The film, which dramatizes the discovery and reburial of King Richard III's remains, depicted an academic as 'devious' and 'weasel-like.' The academic is now set to receive a 'significant sum' in damages. The ruling has been hailed as a 'significant win' by the academic's lawyers. The trial addressed preliminary issues of meaning in the defamation claim.