David Tennant, Robert Carlyle Lead ‘The Hack’, ITV Drama on U.K.’s Notorious Phone-Hacking Scandal

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David Tennant, Robert Carlyle, and Toby Jones are set to star in a brand new TV show titled “The Hack“, which is commissioned by ITV Studios and revolves around the U.K.’s phone-hacking controversy.

The seven-part drama, penned by Jack Thorne, the author known for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and “His Dark Materials”, is produced by the same team behind “Mr Bates vs The Post Office”. This show sparked widespread interest in Britain as it revealed instances of severe mistreatment and miscarriage of justice, where hundreds of subpostmasters were falsely accused of theft and fraud due to a malfunctioning computer system. The impact of this series was so significant that the U.K. government felt compelled to introduce new legislation to clear the names of these wrongly convicted individuals.

From 2002 to 2012, the narrative of The Hack blends two actual events, one being the investigative journalism work of Nick Davies (Tennant), who exposed phone-tapping incidents at Rupert Murdoch’s publishing company, News Group Newspaper, primarily focusing on the tabloid News of the World.

Simultaneously unfolds is the narrative about the inquiry into the cold-case murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, spearheaded by ex-Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook (Carlyle). Jones portrays Alan Rusbridger, a former chief editor of The Guardian.

Thorne remarked, ‘This event from our recent past is puzzling and misleading.’ It’s got numerous complex aspects to it. I believed, being a political enthusiast, I grasped everything that transpired. However, I was mistaken. Uncovering the truth behind it left me astonished.

He further emphasized: “It’s crucial to share this tale at this point in time when truth appears to be under greater threat than ever before. It’s truly an honor for me to collaborate with David, Robert, Toby, Lewis, Patrick, Joe, and Abi in bringing this story to life on screen. I fervently hope that we can manage to do justice to the intricacies of what transpired and celebrate the remarkable journalism that lies beneath it.

The repercussions of the phone-tapping scandal have persisted, causing turmoil in the U.K. for many years. Just recently, Prince Harry reached a settlement with NGN, the publisher of The Sun newspaper, who issued a sincere apology to the Duke for unlawfully invading his and his mother’s privacy. Soon after, Hugh Grant, who had previously settled a case against NGN for illegally accessing his phone and burglarizing his home, called for the police to reopen a criminal investigation into NGN following Prince Harry’s groundbreaking settlement, stating that there is still much work left undone.

The Hack has been assigned by ITV’s drama director, Polly Hill, and is set to air on both ITV and STV. Viewers can also stream it on ITVX and STV Player. The series is now in the post-production phase, having been filmed throughout 2024.

Deadline first reported the news of the series.

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2025-01-29 13:54