Is The Hack based on a true story?

A hard-hitting new drama with a star-studded cast is set to premiere on ITV tonight (Wednesday, September 24).

Set between 2003 and 2012, The Hack cleverly interweaves two stories that run parallel alongside one another.

The first focuses on the work of investigative journalist Nick Davies (played by David Tennant), who played a crucial role in unearthing key evidence of phone hacking.

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Meanwhile, the seven-part drama will also be seen through the lens of former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook (Robert Carlyle), who spearheaded enquiries into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

The cast also includes Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Dougray Scott, Eve Myles, Adrian Lester and Katherine Kelly. But is the drama based on a true story?

The Hack is entirely based on the real-life phone hacking scandal at the News of the World.

The publication notably collapsed in 2011 after a thorough investigation revealed the company was involved in hacking the phones of celebrities, members of the Royal Family and politicians to get stories.

Adolescence's Jack Thorne wrote the drama, and explained its importance in a statement, saying: "This is a strange and deceptive piece of our recent history. One with so many layers to it.

"I thought, as someone who is interested in politics, I understood everything that happened. I did not. It's a fight for the truth that really shocked me. That is why it matters to tell this story now in an age where the truth seems more in danger than ever."

He continued: "It's about great journalism and remarkable people who are very brave. The other side of it is about abuse of power. But also the laziness of power in the face of people who are looking to corrupt the system.

"I don't think what happened was as a result of lots of people conspiring together to pollute things. What happened was that a certain newspaper found it easier to steal stories than to find them. And nobody stopped them."

The screenwriter went on to detail the "enormous lengths" that were made to ensure the show was a fair dramatic representation.

"The level of detail involved in this is a higher level of detail than I've ever been involved in any story ever. It was terrifying at times walking a line between it all," he explained.

"Fighting to tell a character driven story while also embracing all of the facts that need to be told was really hard.

"That's part of the reason why David Tennant as Nick Davies talks to us directly... He takes responsibility for involving us in his journey because he is a person that doesn't talk to others very much.

"It's important that he has a relationship with us - the audience. But also, he takes responsibility for sharing the facts and making sure that people are aware of the facts as they go through it."

Jack concluded: "I hope this show is both a celebration and condemnation of journalism. In an age where people keep saying, 'Why did it take TV to shed light on this,' it's brilliant that we're talking about people within the press being brave enough to go against the establishment."

The Hack will premiere on ITV1 on Wednesday, September 24 at 9pm