The official synopsis reads: “Set between 2002 and 2012, the drama deftly interweaves two real-life stories, the work of investigative journalist Nick Davies, played by David Tennant, who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the News of the World, and running parallel, the story of the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police detective chief superintendent Dave Cook, played by Robert Carlyle.”
In an interview with Deadline, superstar writer Thorne – who shocked the world earlier this year with Netflix’s Adolescence – gave fans an idea of what to expect from his next project.
“The Hack is a completely different side to David Tennant, an aspect of him that you’ve never seen before,” he began. “It’s [Robert] Carlyle doing something very different, too.
“It’s about the phone hacking scandal, but it’s the phone hacking scandal from the inside of it; it’s two sides of the same coin that then reveal the truth of what was going on during that time.”
The screenwriter isn’t a stranger to factual drama, having also penned Netflix’s Toxic Town, but described The Hack as a particularly challenging assignment that required careful navigation of a “legal minefield”.
Thorne continued: “You see them working out how to fight and it’s really, really difficult. It was a very, very difficult show to write. We were working with the Mr Bates vs The Post Office lot, who are incredible researchers.
“Getting every detail right, and walking the legal minefield of the hacking scandal, was very complicated.”
Annalisa D’Innella (Sex Education) is Thorne’s co-writer on The Hack, while Mr Bates star Toby Jones has a supporting role as then-Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.
Rose Leslie, Dougray Scott, Eve Myles, Adrian Lester and Katherine Kelly are among the other familiar faces in the seven-part series, which is yet to receive a confirmed premiere date.
The Hack is coming soon to ITV1 and ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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