Overview
- The seven-part ITV series from the Mr Bates vs The Post Office team stars David Tennant as reporter Nick Davies, alongside Robert Carlyle and Toby Jones.
- It interweaves the News of the World phone-hacking revelations with DCS Dave Cook’s investigation into Daniel Morgan’s murder, portraying figures including Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch.
- A Scotland Yard meeting involving Brooks is dramatised, with producers confirming extensive legal vetting, letters to those depicted, and a disclaimer that some scenes are fictionalised.
- News UK insiders say they are uneasy about the portrayals as the show debuts on ITV1 at 9pm on September 24 with a full boxset on ITVX and streams on Stan from the same date.
- The creative team says the drama aims to reignite pressure for Leveson 2, while Tennant and Robert Carlyle describe personal connections to the scandal through alleged hacking and settlements.