ITV's new crime drama, The Hack, starring David Tennant as investigative journalist Nick Davies, revisits the real-life News of the World phone hacking scandal that rocked the UK. The series is set in the early 2000s and follows Davies' exposure of the illegal activities at the tabloid.
The News of the World, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International, hacked the phones of approximately 5,500 victims from the 1990s to the mid-2000s. Targets included celebrities like Charlotte Church, David and Victoria Beckham, and Steve Coogan, as well as victims of the 7/7 bombings, murdered teenager Milly Dowler, and members of the royal family such as Prince Harry.
Despite initial denials and claims of a 'rogue reporter' in 2006, The Guardian's Nick Davies and his colleagues persisted. By 2010, it emerged that the newspaper had paid over £2 million in settlements. The scandal led to the closure of the News of the World on 10 July 2011, and the subsequent Leveson inquiry into press ethics.
Several former employees faced charges. Former editor Andy Coulson was convicted of conspiracy to intercept voicemails and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Rebekah Brooks, another former editor, was acquitted of all phone hacking charges in June 2014. Other journalists received varying sentences, including Neville Thurlbeck and Greg Miskiw, who were given six-month terms.
