David Tennant & Toby Jones Team Up For 'The Hack'

There are two ways to handle the surprise success of a TV limited series. One can simply accept the success, take the awards and accolades, and move on. One can renew the series for a second season and hope the writers have some good ideas on where the characters go next or how to make the show an anthology. Or one can create a spiritual follow-up, a story in the same vein starring some of the same actors as the first series. 

For ITV's Mr Bates vs the Post Office, the U.K. production studio has chosen the last option. The series was one of ITV's most successful in the last decade, with ratings for the finale reaching levels not seen since Downton Abbey. The public response to the story was so overwhelming the Prime Minister was forced to open an inquiry. And while the story's not over, the part the producers wanted to tell is finished. So, for the next series, it will take on the still-relevant News of the World hacking scandal in a new limited series, The Hack.

Like Mr. Bates, Americans know little about the News of the World Scandal. However, Rupert Murdoch is a figure in both the U.S. and the U.K.; plus, Prince Harry brought one of the most prominent lawsuits, so it's better known than the Bates tale. However, most of the details, including how Murdoch flooded the zone to obfuscate the truth behind what his company was doing, aren't well known in the U.K., let alone over here. Moreover, with one of the figures, Will Lewis, now in charge of The Washington Post, it's far more relevant in both countries.

Here's the synopsis:

Set between 2002 and 2012, the drama deftly interweaves two real-life stories: the work of investigative journalist Nick Davies, 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.

David Tennant (Rivals) stars as journalist Nick Davies, and Toby Jones (Hijack) co-stars as Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger. Robert Carlyle (COBRA) rounds out the trio of leads as Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook. 

The supporting cast includes PBS favorites Rose Leslie (Miss Austen), Dougray Scott (Vigil), Eve Myles (The Crow Girl), Adrian Lester (Renegade Nell), Katherine Kelly (Protection), Kevin Doyle (Miss Scarlet), Pip Torrens (Poldark), Neil Maskell (Peaky Blinders), Lara Pulver (Sherlock), Lee Ingleby (The Serpent Queen), Lisa McGrillis (Best Interests), Sean Pertwee (Silent Witness), Robert Bathurst (Emma), Richard Pepple (Bridgerton), Nadia Albina (All of You), Phil Davis (Trying), Ace Bhatti (Ackley Bridge), Charlie Brooks (Robin Hood), and Steve Pemberton (Happy Valley).

Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials) penned the series with Annalisa Dinnella (Sex Education). Lewis Arnold (The Long Shadow) directs, with Abi Bach producing. Thorne, Arnold, and Tennant also executive produce alongside Joe Williams for ITV Studios and Patrick Spence for AC Chapter One.

The Hack does not yet have an American distributor, but hopefully, that will be quickly rectified.