Who The Hack’s all-star cast are playing, plus their shocking true story that inspired tonight’s ITV drama

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ITV’s new drama, *The Hack*, premieres tonight. It’s based on a true story and features a well-known cast.

This seven-episode series explores two interconnected scandals: the phone-hacking crisis that led to the downfall of the *News of the World* newspaper, and the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

Both *The Guardian*-the newspaper that initially revealed the story-and ITV have praised the series, calling it “shocking” and an “explosive true crime drama,” respectively. The show also stars well-known actors like David Tennant and Toby Jones.

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Written by Jack Thorne, of *Adolescence*, and Annalisa Dinnella, from *Sex Education*, *The Hack* tells a story Thorne describes as a “strange and deceptive” part of recent history, full of hidden complexities.

I used to believe my understanding of politics was complete, but I was wrong. What truly surprised me was the intense struggle for the truth. That’s why sharing this story feels so important now, at a time when it feels like the truth is constantly under threat.

Find out more about the actors and the historical events that inspired the show, plus when each episode will be released, in the information below.

Who is in the cast of The Hack and who are they playing?

The cast includes David Tennant (known from *Doctor Who*) as journalist Nick Davies, and Robert Carlyle (*The Full Monty*) as former police detective Dave Cook. Toby Jones (*Mr Bates vs the Post Office*) plays Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of *The Guardian*, while Steve Pemberton (*Inside No. 9*) portrays media owner Rupert Murdoch. Eve Myles (*The Guest*) plays hacking victim Jacqui Hames, and Cara Theobold (*Downton Abbey*) is *Guardian* reporter Amelia Hill. Lisa Dillon (*Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale*) plays journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, with Steven Waddington (*Slow Horses*) as Mick Sullivan. Patrick Baladi (*DI Ray*) appears as John Whittingdale, and Daniel Ryan (*The Bay*) plays Tom Watson. Alec Newman (*Dept Q*) is John Mullin, Paul Kaye (*The Stranger*) plays Gary Eaton, Jay Simpson (*Black Mirror*) is Glenn Vian, Nicola Stephenson (*Father Brown*) is Cynthia Edmonds, and Jade Harrison (*Foundation*) plays Julie Anne Cleveland.

Further cast members include:

The cast includes Rose Leslie, known from *Game of Thrones*; Dougray Scott (*Crime*); Adrian Lester (*The Sandman*); Charlie Brooks (*EastEnders*); Kevin Doyle (*Happy Valley*); Katherine Kelly (*Gentleman Jack*); Lara Pulver (*MobLand*); Lee Ingleby (*The Long Shadow*); Neil Maskell (*Hijack*); Pip Torrens (*The Crown*); Sean Pertwee (*Elementary*); Lisa McGrillis (*Rivals*); Robert Bathurst (*Toast of London*); Richard Pepple (*Cobra*); Nadia Albina (*Bookish*); Phil Davis (*Poldark*); and Ace Bhatti (*EastEnders*).

The true story of The Hack

Around the mid-2000s, concerns began to emerge that journalists and private investigators were hacking phones, initially centering on the Royal family. This came to light when the News of the World published details about Prince William – including that he’d used an editing suite belonging to Tom Bradby and had a doctor’s appointment. Both William and Bradby suspected their voicemails were being hacked, and a police investigation confirmed this, tracing the leaks to Clive Goodman, the paper’s Royal editor, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who had accessed messages from William’s staff.

Investigators discovered records detailing thousands of people-including public figures, police officers, and crime victims-who appeared to have been hacked. Both Goodman and Mulcaire were convicted and served time in prison, and the editor of *News of the World*, Andy Coulson, stepped down. The scandal temporarily subsided when an assistant to the newspaper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, told lawmakers they hadn’t found proof of widespread hacking within the publication.

The scandal resurfaced in 2009 when *The Guardian* revealed that the *News of the World* had hacked into the phone of Milly Dowler, a murdered schoolgirl, and that this hacking had potentially hindered the police investigation. *The Guardian* reported that police had evidence of this hacking from the 2000s but chose to keep it sealed. The paper also found records of settlements paid to hacking victims, exposing a widespread culture of phone hacking at the *News of the World*.

Despite initially deciding there wasn’t enough evidence to reopen the investigation, Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner John Yates later authorized the inclusion of previously gathered evidence from Glenn Mulcaire into the police records.

According to *The Guardian*, Neville Thurlbeck, a chief reporter at *News of the World*, and his assistant editor Greg Miskiw – both of whom worked with Coulson – had also hired Mulcaire to do the hacking. This challenged News UK’s statements to Parliament, which claimed that only Goodman and Mulcaire were aware of the practice.

The *News of the World* newspaper was closed in 2011 by its owner, Murdoch. Andy Coulson, a former editor, was convicted and served 18 months in prison for conspiring to hack voicemails. Rebekah Brooks, who edited the paper from 2000 to 2003, was initially charged but later found not guilty. She currently serves as CEO of News UK.

The Leveson Inquiry investigated the practices of the British press, and a related investigation, Operation Elveden, examined corruption within the police force.

The Hack episode release schedule and how to watch

You can watch all seven episodes right now on ITVX. Here’s when you can also catch *The Hack* on television:

Here’s the episode schedule: Episode 1 airs tonight, September 24th, at 9pm. New episodes will then air each week on October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, culminating in the final episode on November 5th. All episodes begin at 9pm.

The Hack begins tonight on ITV at 9pm. All episodes are now available to stream on ITVX.

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2025-09-24 17:50