Harsh Vardhan
A series titled ‘Broken News,’ which delves into the UK phone hacking scandal, is currently in development at ITVX. The filming of the project is set to commence in London, England, this month. Jack Thorne penned the series, which has Lewis Arnold as a director. David Tennant headlines the cast.
The series revolves around the demise of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World. The scandal came to light with revelations that a private investigator, hired by the paper, had hacked the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl. The subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of over 100 individuals, the imprisonment of Downing Street’s director of communications, the resignation of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, an unprecedented public inquiry into the ethical practices of the British press, and ultimately, the closure of one of the world’s oldest and most widely read newspapers.
Thorne’s recent writing endeavors include four episodes of the TV series ‘Best Interests,’ which revolves around a family torn apart by decisions no parent would ever wish to make. He served as the main writer of HBO’s ‘His Dark Materials,’ a fantasy drama series based on Philip Pullman’s novel trilogy of the same name. The show traces the journey of an orphan named Lyra as she seeks a missing friend while uncovering a kidnapping plot linked to the elusive cosmic substance known as Dust. Thorne’s notable credits include both ‘Enola Holmes‘ movies, ‘The Swimmers,’ ‘The Virtues,’ and ‘National Treasure.’
Tennant recently completed filming Disney+’s drama series ‘Rivals,’ a television adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name. He portrayed the titular character in the 2023 specials of BBC’s ‘Doctor Who,’ Crowley in ‘Good Omens,’ and Simon in ‘There She Goes.’ His voice credits include Pa MacWeldon in ‘The Simpsons’ and Huyang in ‘Ahsoka.’
Arnold helmed seven episodes of the TV miniseries ‘The Long Shadow,’ which chronicles the five-year pursuit of the infamous serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper. The filmmaker also directed three episodes of the mystery series ‘Sherwood,’ which follows unexpected murders triggering one of the largest manhunts in British history. His directorial contributions also extend to the Sean Bean-led TV series ‘Time,’ which delves into the moral dilemmas faced by a prison officer trying to safeguard those under his care. Arnold’s directorial portfolio includes episodes of shows such as ‘Des,’ ‘Dark Money,’ ‘Cleaning Up,’ and ‘Broadchurch.’
London, a principal location of the series, earlier hosted the shooting of Netflix’s ‘Lift‘ and Jason Statham-starrer ‘The Beekeeper.’
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