A hard-hitting new ITV drama is set to blow the lid off the dark link between the infamous News of the World phone hacking scandal and the decades-old axe murder of private detective Daniel Morgan. This seven-part series promises a gripping plunge into one of Britain’s most twisted media and police scandals.
David Tennant and Robert Carlyle Lead Explosive ITV Drama
Starring David Tennant and Robert Carlyle, the intense drama unfolds between 2002 and 2012. Tennant plays Nick Davies, the gutsy journalist who exposed the shocking phone hacking at News of the World. Meanwhile, Carlyle takes on the role of former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook, reopening Daniel Morgan’s gruesome cold case.
Written by Emmy winner Jack Thorne (Netflix’s Adolescence), the series strips back the layers of media corruption and police cover-ups that have haunted Britain for decades.
The Axe Murder That Shook London
Daniel Morgan, co-founder of Southern Investigations, was savagely killed with an axe in a Sydenham pub car park in March 1987. Despite multiple arrests – including his business partner Jonathan Rees and ex-detective Sid Fillery – no one was ever convicted.
For over 30 years, the case has been tangled in controversy and tied to deep-seated corruption inside the Metropolitan Police. Numerous botched investigations and cover-ups have stalled justice. Cook’s 2002 reinvestigation unearthed a web of police corruption stretching back decades, helping trigger the 2021 Home Office report that slammed the Met as “institutionally corrupt” in handling the case.
Phone Hacking, Corruption and Crime – The Shocking Links
The case took a dramatic twist after the 2011 Old Bailey trial collapsed. It emerged that Jonathan Rees was paid a staggering £150,000 a year by News of the World for illegally obtained info on top figures.
Rees, later jailed for perverting the course of justice, was linked to corrupt officers who helped him hack bank accounts and confidential records. He also spied for rival tabloids like the Daily Mirror, targeting royals and celebs alike.
Despite mountains of evidence, the Met dragged its feet for years, failing to fully investigate this tangled web of crime and corruption.
“The Metropolitan Police’s handling of the Daniel Morgan murder case revealed shocking institutional corruption,” the Home Office said in its 2021 report.
New Revelations Stoke the Fire
The scandal refuses to die down. In a stunning 2023 twist, the Met Police apologised after discovering crucial documents hidden away in a locked cabinet — key evidence kept from investigators for years.
This bombshell raises expectations for the ITV series, which promises to expose the murky ties between tabloid hacking and police skulduggery once and for all.
Tune into ITV and ITVX for this explosive new drama uncovering Britain’s darkest media scandal.
