The Lost King team are standing by their version of events and say in a statement: 'The filmmakers believe the portrayal of the university is fair and accurate based on Philippa's experience as corroborated by the filmmakers' independent research.' Taylor tells BBC Culture he is considering legal action. Then, when Langley is proved right, he does his utmost to keep her out of the picture while the university basks in the glory. 'A 'feeling' is what you get when you sit on bus seat that's still warm,' Taylor sneers. For example, at an initial meeting to pitch her idea of the dig, Langley makes the mistake of saying she has a strong 'feeling' she's found an important site.

At first, he's dismissive of the whole project, treating it as a joke. The film's Taylor is, essentially, the villain of the piece. In particular, the university's former deputy registrar Richard Taylor is distraught at his portrayal as obstructive, manipulative and sexist. – 11 of the best films to watch this October – The buried ship found on an English estate However, the actual digging was planned and carried out by archaeologists from the University of Leicester and now the university is up in arms at its depiction in the film, written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope and starring Sally Hawkins as Langley and Coogan as her ex-husband John. She was the driving force behind an excavation carried out in a car park in Leicester in 2012 which, incredibly, uncovered the bones of the last Plantagenet king. Released today in UK cinemas, after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival last month, The Lost King is based on the extraordinary real-life story of amateur historian Philippa Langley's search for the lost remains of Richard III. It would be an irony that Shakespeare might have appreciated if a film revolving around a quest to clear the name of one Richard were to tarnish the name of another.

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