Actor David Tennant, who stars in the upcoming political thriller series The Hack, has opened up about the disturbing real-life context that inspired the drama — the phone hacking scandal that shook British journalism to its core. In a candid reflection, Tennant discussed why the press turned a blind eye to the issue for so long and how the victims were left grappling with betrayal, confusion, and emotional devastation.

David Tennant on why the real story was ignored initially

“I suppose the obvious answer is, it was inconvenient,” Tennant said, addressing why Fleet Street initially ignored the story. “They were gambling on the idea that the public wouldn’t really care if Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller were feeling hard done by. But once it became Milly Dowler, they realised the game was up and they had to start reporting the story.”