Channel 4 to broadcast phone hacking comedy
Channel 4 is working on a comedy based on the phone hacking scandal.
Hacks, which is a working title, will take a satirical swipe at the recent momentous events surrounding the British newspaper industry.
Set in a fictional newspaper's offices, where the drive to get the story is intense, the phrase "by any means necessary" doesn't even cover it. Phone hacking, blagging, pinging... the staff of the newspaper do it all. However, much like with the News Of The World scandal, the journalists soon start to find things beginning to unravel in a big way...
The 60 minute special will air on Channel 4 this winter. There is no news on casting yet, but we do know the show is being written by Guy Jenkin (pictured). The writer's previous credits include long-running 1990s satirical newsroom-based sitcom Drop The Dead Donkey and BBC One smash hit Outnumbered. Hacks will be produced by Hat Trick Productions, the company behind both series.
Channel 4's head of comedy Shane Allen says: "We are very excited about Hacks and it's great that Channel 4 can be so quick off the mark to shine a satirical light on what's been happening in the media over the last few months."
Guy Jenkin adds: "We hope to be faster and funnier than all the inquiries so far."