'The Hack' Trailer Is a Damning Look at Murdoch's 'News of the World' Scandal

The News of the World scandal was barely a blip on Americans' radar when it broke in the middle of the summer in 2011. Aside from the revelation that the Murdoch-owned paper had tapped the phones of royalty for years, an angle that resonated here due to the clear throughline to the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the kerfuffle seemed like something that had been resolved; the paper had shuttered, and the courts would punish those involved. However, as shown in the new trailer for The Hack, hailing from writer Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and the production team behind Mr Bates vs the Post Office, the royals were only the tip of the iceberg.

For those unfamiliar with the matter or who may not have paid sufficient attention, the News of the World scandal revealed that Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid had spent decades hacking the mobile phones of celebrities and those involved in current news stories, listening to private voicemails to obtain juicy scoops. It took nearly a decade for the investigation to break big; when it did, on a Monday in mid-July, News of the World went from having somewhere near 100 million readers to a toxic brand almost overnight. In a desperate move to halt the investigation, Murdoch shuttered the paper within days. However, it did not work, and a public government investigation took place.

The new seven part series attempts to show the breadth and depth of what took place by starting with Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook, looking into the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan, a private investigator who was killed with an axe in south London in 1987, and interweaves that story with The Guardian's investigation into the scandal, spearheaded by journalist Nick Davies and editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.

Here's the series 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 Davies, opposite Toby Jones (Mr. Burton) as the former Guardian editor-in-chief Rusbridger, and Robert Carlyle (Toxic Town) as the former Met Police DCSup Dave Cook. Alongside Tennant, Carlyle, and Jones, the series also features PBS favorites Rose Leslie (Miss Austen), Pip Torrens (Poldark), and Kevin Doyle (Sherwood). 

The rest of the star-studded ensemble cast includes Dougray Scott (Sherlock & Daughter), Eve Myles (The Crow Girl), Adrian Lester (The Sandman), Katherine Kelly (In Flight), Neil Maskell (Hijack), Lara Pulver (MobLand), Lee Ingleby (The Serpent Queen), Lisa McGrillis (Sex Education), Sean Pertwee (Silent Witness), Robert Bathurst (The Larkins), Richard Pepple (Bridgerton), Nadia Albina (A Thousand Blows), Phil Davis (Playing Nice), Ace Bhatti (Protection), Paul Kaye (Shardlake), Steve Pemberton (Inside No. 9), and Charlie Brooks (With Intent).

Thorne penned the script with Annalisa Dinnella (Sex Education). Lewis Arnold (The Long Shadow) directs, with Abi Bach producing. Thorne, Arnold, Tennant, are all executive producers, alongside Joe Williams for ITV Studios, and Patrick Spence for AC Chapter One. 

The Hack doesn't have a confirmed release date on ITV, but will air and stream in the U.K. before the end of 2025. The series also lacks an American distributor, which needs to be rectified immediately.