Steve Coogan to rediscover king's remains at Lothians colliery

The search for the remains of King Richard III is to be recreated in Newtongrange for a new movie with Alan Partridge actor Steve Coogan.

Comedian and actor Coogan and his Stan and Ollie writing partner Jeff Pope are set to produce a film about the discovery of King Richard III's remains alongside acclaimed director Stephen Frears.

The last of the Plantagenet rulers died in battle in 1485 and his skeleton was found under a council car park in Leicester nine years ago.

Comedian and actor Coogan and his Stan and Ollie writing partner Jeff Pope are set to produce a film about the discovery of the king’s remains alongside acclaimed director Stephen Frears.

And Coogan’s film company Baby Cow Films has applied for planning permission from Midlothian Council to recreate the famous dig at the National Mining Museum’s Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange.

Plans to dig three trenches at the museum site, as well as putting down tarmac for the duration of filming, have been lodged.

The application to set up the film set says work, if approved, will start on Monday, April 26, with filming planned for the last two weeks of May and start of June.

It also says the trenches will be filled in at the end of filming.

The film The Lost King will tell the incredible true story of how the remains were tracked down by a team of archaeologists and found underneath the car park.

As well as writing the film with Pope, Coogan is due to star in it.

The hunt for King Richard’s remains saw an archaeological dig launched in 2012 when three trenches were dug at two council car park sites and a playground in Leicester.

The site was a former friary and, within a few months of starting the dig, remains, which were later confirmed as the king’s, were discovered.

The planning application to Midlothian Council sets out proposals to create three trenches similar to those used in the original dig.

Baby Cow Films Ltd said in its planning statement the work was intended to “create a temporary film set of three trenches surrounded by free-standing set flattage”.

It added: “The film follows the true story of the discovery of the remains of King Richard III in 2012.”

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