By Elizabeth Cotton

Copyright manchestereveningnews

It’s finally that time of year when all the new dramas are shown on television, and viewers can settle in for an evening of fantastic stories being told. Critically-acclaimed actors David Tennant and Robert Carlyle have taken on two of the lead roles in ITV’s latest drama, The Hack. The first episode airs Wednesday September 24 at 9pm on ITV1. After that, the remaining six episodes will air weekly in the same timeslot. ITVX will have all episodes available to stream if you’re looking to binge-watch the new series. The Hack is the brainchild of screenwriter Jack Thorne who worked on the Emmy Award winning Netflix hit, Adolescence. It’s also directed by Lewis Arnold, who is a BAFTA award-winning director known for his work on dramas such as Time and The Long Shadow. It focuses on the phone hacking scandal that rocked the nation. Set between 2002 and 2012, the drama interweaves two real life stories. The work of investigative journalist Nick Davies, played by David Tennant, who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the News of the World, and running parallel, the story of the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook, played by Robert Carlyle. Investigations conducted proved that the now defunct newspaper hacked the voicemails of celebrities, politicians, and members of the British royal family for stories. In 2011 it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the July 7 2005 London bombings had also been hacked. The Hack is split into seven episodes, where you can watch them in real time weekly, or binge-watch the complete seven-part series on ITVX. Jack Thorne shared: “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. It is a true honour to be bringing this story to the screen alongside David, Robert, Toby, Lewis, Patrick, Joe and Abi. I hope we find a way to do justice to the complexity of what happened and of celebrating the incredible reporting that sits underneath it”. The Hack begins to air on Wednesday September 24 at 9pm on ITV1 with the full series available to stream on ITVX.