The Hack cast: List of actors and their real-life counterparts in ITV drama
Rupert Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks and Gordon Brown are among the real-life figures portrayed in ITV's factual drama.
ITV is delving into another shocking scandal with The Hack, a seven-part miniseries from Adolescence and Toxic Town writer Jack Thorne, which explores both tabloid phone-hacking and the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan.
Over the course of the series, Thorne will reveal what connects these two cases, and ask serious questions about the issues left unaddressed years after Nick Davies (David Tennant) brought phone-hacking to the public's attention.
Tennant leads one half of the drama, with Robert Carlyle (COBRA) fronting the other as DCS Dave Cook, who was in charge of the investigation into Morgan's demise – and who paid a heavy price for his work.
The Hack boasts a large ensemble cast with a number of household names, including Toby Jones, Katherine Kelly, Rose Leslie, Steve Pemberton and Eve Myles, who bring this dark tale to life in an impactful way.
Read on for your introduction to The Hack cast as the series premieres on ITV1 and ITVX, including side-by-side comparisons with the actors and the real-life figures they are portraying.
The Hack cast: List of actors in ITV factual drama
Here's a round-up of all the key players in ITV drama The Hack – read on for more details on each character and the actor playing them, including where you might have seen them before.
- David Tennant as Nick Davies
- Toby Jones as Alan Rusbridger
- Robert Carlyle as DCS Dave Cook
- Eve Myles as Jacqui Hames
- Katherine Kelly as Sheridan McCoid
- Adrian Lester as Mr Apollo
- Rose Leslie as Charlotte Harris
- Cara Theobold as Amelia Hill
- Steve Pemberton as Rupert Murdoch
- Dougray Scott as Gordon Brown
- Rosalie Craig as Rebekah Brooks
- Mark Stobbart as Andy Coulson
- Nicholas Rowe as Jeremy Paxman
- Robert Bathurst as Max Clifford
- Ron Cook as Max Mosley
- Georgia Jay as Sienna Miller
- Terence Maynard as Rufus Duffy
- Nadia Albina as Gill Phillips
- Barry Sloane as DS Ezra Slater
- Robert Glenister as DCI Callum Lockhart
- Nabil Elouahabi as DC Buzz Aldrin
- Kevin Doyle as AC John Yates
- Pip Torrens as Stuart Kuttner
- Lisa McGrillis as Sarah Montague
- Sean Pertwee as Sean Hoare
- Charlie Brooks as Kim Vian
David Tennant as Nick Davies
Who is Nick Davies? Nick is a freelance journalist, who works primarily for The Guardian. He is tipped off about the practice of phone hacking at News of the World, in which private voicemails of the rich and famous are mined for news stories. However, bringing the matter to light will place enormous strain on his personal and professional life.
What else has David Tennant been in? Pretty much everything! We joke, but he is one of the most prolific actors in the country, having shot to stardom as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who. He's taken a wide variety of projects in the years since, including Broadchurch, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Good Omens, Staged and Star Wars series Ahsoka.
Toby Jones as Alan Rusbridger
Who is Alan Rusbridger? Alan is the editor-in-chief of The Guardian at the time that the phone-hacking scandal investigation begins. He too is in the crosshairs of people trying to keep the story under wraps. However, his relationship with Davies dates back many years and he trusts his reporting instincts.
What else has Toby Jones been in? Another highly recognisable face, Jones moved the country last year with his portrayal of campaigner Alan Bates in ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Previously, he was known for such hits as BBC comedy series Detectorists, Marvel's Captain America films, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Sherlock.
Eve Myles as Jacqui Hames
Who is Jacqui Hames? At the time The Hack is set, Jacqui Hames is a journalist and TV presenter, best known to the nation as the host of Crimewatch. She's also the wife of DCS Dave Cook, who is investigating the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan.
What else has Eve Myles been in? Myles earned a legion of fans for her portrayal of Gwen Cooper in the BBC's Whoniverse; a character who primarily appeared in Doctor Who's edgy spin-off Torchwood. Other credits include ITV dramas Broadchurch and Victoria, plus Apple TV+ action thriller Hijack and recent shows The Crow Girl, The Guest and Coldwater.
Steve Pemberton as Rupert Murdoch
Who is Rupert Murdoch? Murdoch is arguably one of the most famous and influential media executives in the world. In the UK, his company News Corp publishes The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, while its previous incarnation News Corporation also had the disgraced News of the World in its widely circulated roster.
What else has Steve Pemberton been in? Pemberton is best known for his comedy work, having co-created and starred in the BBC's The League of Gentlemen, Psychoville and Inside No. 9. He also appeared as Mick Garvey in ITV's holiday sitcom Benidorm. Other credits include Whitechapel, Happy Valley, Worzel Gummidge and Netflix's Missing You.
Dougray Scott as Gordon Brown
Who is Gordon Brown? Gordon Brown was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2010, taking over the role after the resignation of Tony Blair. His party proceeded to lose the next general election, making way for the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
What else has Dougray Scott been in? Scott's small screen credits include Irvine Welsh's Crime, DC's Batwoman, BBC One's Vigil, plus American comedy-drama Desperate Housewives and fantasy horror Hemlock Grove. Meanwhile, his film credits include Mission: Impossible 2, Taken 3 and, most recently, My Oxford Year.
Rosalie Craig plays Rebekah Brooks
Who is Rebekah Brooks? Brooks was the editor of the News of the World and, later, The Sun, and now serves as CEO of the Murdoch company News UK.
What else has Rosalie Craig been in? You may recognise Craig from recent performances in Moonflower Murders and The Serpent Queen as well as Netflix originals 1899 and Anatomy of a Scandal.
Mark Stobbart as Andy Coulson
Who is Andy Coulson? Coulson became the editor of News of the World after Brooks moved to her role at The Sun. He too was embroiled in the investigation into phone-hacking, which reached its zenith after he was appointed then-Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications, operating out of 10 Downing Street itself.
What else has Mark Stobbart been in? Stobbart will be known for recent performances as Peter Sutcliffe in chilling true crime drama The Long Shadow and Cheese in Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Other credits include Smoggie Queens, The Hunt for Raoul Moat and Line of Duty.
Nicholas Rowe plays Jeremy Paxman
Who is Jeremy Paxman? Paxman is a journalist and television presenter. At the time that The Hack takes place, he was one of the biggest names in British news and current affairs, serving as the presenter of the BBC's Newsnight.
What else has Nicholas Rowe been in? Rowe has appeared in a wide array of television dramas, including recent offerings Red Eye, The Outlaws and The Killing Kind, which debuted on Netflix earlier this month.
Robert Bathurst plays Max Clifford
Who is Max Clifford? Clifford was a prominent publicist, who sold salacious stories to tabloid newspapers – but fell out with News of the World after becoming a victim of phone-hacking. This made him an unlikely ally of Nick Davies for a brief period in his investigation. Later, in 2014, Clifford was found guilty of sex offences and died in prison three years later.
What else has Robert Bathurst been in? Bathurst's career began in the 1980s, and includes roles in hit shows such as Cold Feet, Downton Abbey, Blandings and Toast of London.
Ron Cook plays Max Mosley
Who is Max Mosley? Mosley was the president of Formula One's governing body, who became a sworn enemy of News of the World after they published reports of a sex act that he had been involved in. The report was later found to have breached his privacy in a high profile court case, which also debunked News of the World's claim that the incident in question had Nazi connotations. Mosley went on to guarantee the court costs of claimants accusing the tabloid of hacking their phones.
What else has Ron Cook been in? Cook is perhaps best known for playing Mr Crabb in ITV period drama Mr Selfridge. Other credits include Inside No. 9, Andor, The Salisbury Poisonings and Des, another David Tennant-led factual drama.
Georgia Jay plays Sienna Miller
Who is Sienna Miller? Sienna Miller is an American-British actor and phone-hacking victim.
What else has Georgia Jay been in? Jay is probably best known for playing Steph Miligan on ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Her other credits include BBC dramas Silent Witness and Giri/Haji.
Robert Carlyle as DCS Dave Cook
Who is DCS Dave Cook? Dave Cook is a Metropolitan Police detective, who was brought on to the confounding – and still unsolved – case of Daniel Morgan's murder, which took a heavy toll on his personal and professional life.
What else has Robert Carlyle been in? Carlyle rose to fame with buzzy British films Trainspotting and The Full Monty, which led to a role in 1999's James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. He reunited with director Danny Boyle on Leonardo DiCaprio-led drama The Beach, Yesterday and T2 Trainspotting. Meanwhile, on the small screen, he's known for Stargate Universe, Disney's Once Upon a Time, Sky's COBRA and Netflix's recent factual drama Toxic Town.
Rose Leslie as Charlotte Harris
Who is Charlotte Harris? Charlotte is the lawyer of Max Clifford, who first comes across Nick Davies while advising her client on legal action against News of the World.
What else has Rose Leslie been in? Leslie rose to fame as Gwen in Downton Abbey and Ygritte in Game of Thrones, before landing lead roles in legal drama The Good Fight and BBC thriller Vigil.
Katherine Kelly as Sheridan McCoid
Who is Sheridan McCoid? Sheridan is Nick's ex-wife, with whom he remains on good terms.
What else has Katherine Kelly been in? Kelly is best known for playing Lady Mae in Mr Selfridge, DI Jodie Shackleton in Happy Valley and Elizabeth Sutherland in Gentleman Jack – the latter two both penned by star writer Sally Wainwright. She was part of the ensemble cast that brought the Post Office scandal to vivid life last year in ITV phenomenon Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Adrian Lester as Mr Apollo
Who is Mr Apollo? Mr Apollo is the mystery source who tipped Nick Davies off to the practice of phone-hacking at News of the World. Davies has never revealed the identity of the figure, referring to them only by this codename.
What else has Adrian Lester been in? Lester is best known for an illustrious theatre career, but he's also taken high-profile screen roles in Hustle, Mike Bartlett's Life and ITV's Trigger Point, as well as recent fantasy series Renegade Nell and The Sandman.
The Hack is airing on ITV1 and ITVX from Wednesday 24th September 2025.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
