ITV taps Mr Bates team and David Tennant for phone hacking drama

The team behind Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Jack Thorne are behind an ITV drama starring David Tennant that will explore the phone hacking scandal, with Australian streamer Stan attached as co-producer. 

The Hack is a seven-part series set between 2002 and 2012 that interweaves two real stories: that of investigative journalist Nick Davies, who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the News of the World newspaper; and the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police detective chief superintendent Dave Cook.  

The drama will be made by ITV Studios and Stan and will feature Mr Bates vs The Post Offices’ lead Toby Jones as Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, alongside stars David Tennant as Davies and Robert Carlyle as Cook.

The supporting cast includes Rose Leslie, Dougray Scott, Adrian Lester, Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly, among others.  

The Hack was commissioned for ITV by Polly Hill, director of drama, and will air on ITV and STV and be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player. ITVS will handle global distribution.  

It is exec produced by Patrick Spence, managing director of Anonymous Content-backed AC Chapter One, alongside Thorne, Joe Williams for ITV, Tennant and director Lewis Arnold. Abi Bach serves as series producer. Annalisa Dinnella has written one of the episodes and co-wrote two parts with Thorne.  

Thorne said: “This is a strange and deceptive piece of our recent history. One with so many layers to it. I thought, as someone who is interested in politics, I understood everything that happened. I did not. It’s a fight for the truth that really shocked me. That is why it matters to tell this story now in an age where the truth seems more in danger than ever. 

“I hope we find a way to do justice to the complexity of what happened and of celebrating the incredible reporting that sits underneath it.” 

Hill said: “I am very proud to be making this important drama with Patrick Spence, Jack Thorne and Lewis Arnold. They are a brilliant team and the perfect people to bring this story to screen and its testament to them that we have such an incredible cast led by David Tennant, Robert Carlyle and Toby Jones.”  

Spence said that questions around the phone hacking scandal remain unanswered and that he hoped the drama is “our contribution to that conversation”.  

Cailah Scobie, chief content officer at Stan, said: “The Hack is a timely and impactful series that underscores Stan’s commitment to bringing high-quality and thought-provoking content to our audiences, together with our partners at ITV, alongside Jack, Lewis, Patrick, Joe and Abi.”