In autumn this year, ITV will broadcast The Hack, a new seven-part drama written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jack Thorne, whose most recent series, Adolescence received vast amounts of praise earlier this year. The series will dramatise a dark chapter in modern British journalism: the phone-hacking scandal, and the press corruption and abuse of power which it exposed. Early reports suggest it will be a meticulous, character-driven account of the hacking saga. The series will follow two separate storylines, firstly, the work of Nick Davies in uncovering the commonplace phone hacking that was taking place at the News of the World. The second storyline will focus on the murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

David Tennant will star as Nick Davies, with an ensemble cast bringing to life victims, campaigners, and journalists. Toby Jones and Rose Leslie are also due to feature heavily in the series. With Thorne’s proven track record of socially conscious storytelling, The Hack is set to be both gripping television and a searing reminder of why this scandal still matters today.

Why this matters now

The phone-hacking scandal is sometimes spoken of as if it belongs to the past. But its consequences are ongoing. Many of the titles implicated continue to dominate the UK media landscape. IPSO, the industry’s chosen complaints handler, remains a shield for bad practice, incapable of enforcing meaningful standards or protecting the public from press abuse. Meanwhile, independent regulation, as recommended by Leveson, has been rejected by the UK’s most popular publications.

For viewers unfamiliar with the scale of hacking and the cover-up that followed, The Hack will likely be an eye-opener. For those who lived through it, the series may feel like long-overdue recognition of the trauma inflicted on the victims, whose private lives were invaded for profit.

Learning from Mr Bates and the Post Office scandal

Many will recall the extraordinary impact of ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office, broadcast last year. The drama not only drew millions of viewers but also transformed a long-running miscarriage of justice into a national cause. Within weeks, the Government was forced to respond, ministers apologised, and long-ignored victims finally saw real momentum for redress.

That series showed the unique power of television drama to cut through decades of official inaction, misleading press coverage, and political indifference. By telling human stories with empathy and precision, Mr Bates vs The Post Office turned a technical issue of faulty IT into a moral scandal no one could ignore.

We hope The Hack has the potential to do the same. The hacking scandal is not just a story of illegal newsroom practices; it is about power, corruption, and the deliberate blocking of reform. It is about ordinary people whose lives were torn apart, and about governments that promised change and then caved to press pressure.

A campaigning opportunity

The Hack is unlikely to receive the overwhelmingly positive press coverage that boosted Mr Bates vs The Post Office. But it will be a timely reminder to the public of press abuse, and the unfinished business of press standards reform.

For Hacked Off, the broadcast of The Hack represents a unique chance to push once more for genuine, independent press regulation and for long-delayed justice for victims. Just as Mr Bates reignited public outrage over the Post Office, this series will make it harder for editors and politicians to dismiss calls for reform.

We will keep our supporters updated ahead of this important period.

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