A gripping new seven-part ITV series is set to expose the tangled web linking the infamous News of the World phone hacking scandal and the long-unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.
Stars David Tennant and Robert Carlyle Lead Hard-Hitting Drama
The drama, set between 2002 and 2012, follows investigative journalist Nick Davies (played by David Tennant) as he unearths shocking phone hacking at News of the World. Running alongside this is the parallel story of former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook (Robert Carlyle), tasked with cracking open the cold case of Daniel Morgan’s brutal axe murder.
Written by Emmy-winning scribe Jack <a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.Thorne, known for Netflix’s Adolescence, the series promises to delve deep into the dark underbelly of media corruption and police scandal.
Who Was Daniel Morgan? The Axe Murder That Shook London
Daniel Morgan, co-founder of the detective agency Southern Investigations, was hacked to death with an axe in a england/ireland/england/sydenham-england/”>sydenham/”>sydenham/”>sydenham-england/”>Sydenham pub car <a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.Parkpark in <a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.March 1987. Despite multiple arrests—including business partner Jonathan Rees and former detective Sid Fillery—no one has been convicted. For <a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.Overover three decades, the unsolved murder has been linked to corruption within the Metropolitan Police, with numerous stalled investigations.
Detective Dave Cook picks up the case in 2002, uncovering a maze of police corruption and cover-ups. Decades of inquiries eventually led to a damning 2021 Home Office report branding the Met “institutionally corrupt” in handling Morgan’s case.
The Shocking Link: Corruption, Crime and Phone Hacking
The Morgan case exploded further when, after the collapse of the 2011 <a href=”https:///uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.<a href=”https:///www.uknip.co.Old Bailey trial, it emerged that Rees had been paid £150,000 a year by News of the World for dodgy info—illegally obtained—on high-profile targets. Rees, jailed for perverting the course of justice, had deep ties to corrupt officers who helped him hack into bank accounts and confidential records.
He also worked with rival papers such as the Daily Mirror, spying on royals and celebrities alike. Even with evidence mounting, the Met blundered by failing to thoroughly investigate this web of corruption and crime for over a decade.
“The Metropolitan Police’s handling of the Daniel Morgan murder case revealed shocking institutional corruption,” the Home Office said in its 2021 report.
What’s Next?
In a dramatic recent twist, the Met Police apologised in May 2023 after discovering important, previously hidden documents in a locked cabinet. The revelations only add fuel to the fire as this explosive new TV series prepares to bring the murky connections between tabloid hacking and police corruption to light.
Keep an eye on ITV and ITVX for the upcoming series that promises to expose the dark secrets behind one of Britain’s most notorious media scandals. www.wiltshire999.co.uk/where/united-kingdom/england/east-of-england/essex
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