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Just a warning before we begin this episode, it does contain strong language, Alice. I might not have heard some of these words before. I think I've heard you use all of them. Matthew. Miss Levine. Formal. Here's a question for you. Have you ever been arrested? No! What's going on? Last week you tried to find me, now you're trying to get me nicked. OK, different question. Has your partner ever been arrested? I don't think so. Where's this going? It will all become relevant.
17th July 2011. Charlie Brooks looks out at a London street through the tinted window of his wife's executive car. On the outside, he's calm. But inside, he's freaking out. His wife, Rebecca Brooks, has just been arrested. Charlie knows it's only a matter of time before their home is searched. He takes out his phone. He scrolls down to the name Mark Hanna, presses call. Mark, it's Charlie. I need your help.
It doesn't feel like a master plan. Not one of the best ones, anyway. Now all he can do is wait.
Over the next hours, Charlie thinks back to the events of the last couple of weeks. The closure of the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch getting a custard pie in Parliament, Rebecca being forced to resign. It all seems like a bad dream. Charlie doesn't know how much trouble Rebecca is in, but he's determined to protect her at any cost. At last, Charlie's phone beeps. It's a text from Mark. Minutes later, Charlie is back in the underground car park.
Mark Hanna is there waiting. News International's 47-year-old head of security has a no-nonsense manner to match his serious face. Don't worry, everything's under control. Walking away, Charlie sees Mark stooped down by the wheelie bin. He picks up the laptop and jiffy bag and takes them to his car. At least that's one problem solved. That afternoon, Charlie opens the door to a small squad of police officers. They're here to search the flat.
Charlie steps back to let them in. Of course, come in. Rebecca and I have nothing to hide. Keep your shoes on, it's fine. We're not that kind of house. Oh, God. Very chill. Tea, coffee, lager?
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As an Audible member, you choose one title a month to keep from their entire catalogue. New members can try Audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com slash WonderyPod or text WonderyPod to 500-500. That's audible.com slash WonderyPod or text WonderyPod to 500-500. From Wondery, I'm Alice Levine. And I'm Matt Ford. And this is British Scandal. British Scandal
So for today's part of the story, it's important to go back to 2002 when one of the biggest news stories in Britain at the time was that of Millie Dowler, the 13-year-old who went missing on her way home from school. Six months later, her body was found in the woods and it's not an exaggeration to say that the entire country was in shock.
Then, in 2011, it was revealed that the news of the world had hacked Millie's phone. And that's when the whole phone hacking story really explodes because when it was celebrities getting their phones hacked, frankly, the public didn't really care. When it emerged they'd hacked the phone of Millie Dowler, the public weren't just horrified and shocked, they were livid. The question was, who would survive and who would fall? This is episode three, Death of a Tabloid.
Let's go back a bit to Tuesday the 5th of July 2011. Glenn Mulcair is not happy about being thrown back into the spotlight. His days as a private investigator for the News of the World are over. He thought the worst was out of the way when he left prison. But this is something else. Yesterday, The Guardian revealed he'd hacked Millie Dowler's phone. This was while the 14-year-old was still missing, before she was found murdered.
The paper also says he deleted some of her voicemails to make room for new messages. It gave her parents false hope that she could still be alive. The public reaction has been furious. Everyone is out for Glenn's blood. He's a quiet man. He hates when the glare of publicity is turned on him. We shouldn't have been hacking phones. If you don't want publicity, work in a florist.
Well, Glenn hates it, but one thing he hates more is those he loves being hurt by all of this. Glenn's wife is devastated. His kids are asking awkward questions. He picks up his phone. Hi, it's Glenn Mulcair. Can we meet? Nice for him to use his phone for its intended purpose for once. Quite a novelty for Glenn. It's good to talk. A few hours later, Glenn sits in a small suburban cafe with Guardian reporter Nick Davies.
Nick broke the original hacking story and the new allegations about Millie Dowler. Glenn has refused to talk to him until now. I'm so sorry for any hurt I've caused Millie's family. Please make it clear I never meant to interfere with the Millie Dowler police investigation. Great noise. Thanks. Nick eyes Glenn with suspicion but takes down what he's saying.
Glenn took the heat for the hacking scandal when he went to jail, but he won't do it again. This time, he wants the news of the world bosses to take their share of the blame. And that includes Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks.
It is important to add a little sidebar here, though. Not like us to go on a tangent, but Glenn did admit to hacking Millie Dowler's phone, but it was later revealed it was unlikely that he would have been the one that deleted the voicemail messages. So they were probably erased automatically because it was full. Yeah, and in a way that doesn't matter because what this element of the story did was shock the public into realising how appalling phone hacking is. And this is the tipping point after which all the dodgy practices of News International come back to haunt it.
It's the next day in Wapping. In her glass-fronted office at News International HQ, Rebecca Brooks studies the newspapers spread across her desk. This is bad.
Main Street bad. That was what the guys wrote on the whiteboard, and that means very bad. I don't know why they don't just say very bad. Well, whatever they call it, underneath Main Street were these words. McCann, Soham, Dowler, which obviously relate to the possible hacking of the parents of missing toddler Maddy McCann. Relatives of Soham murder victims, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
And as we're discussing, Millie Dowler. So Millie Dowler wasn't an isolated aberration that wasn't the only non-celebrity. They were hacking victims of crime regularly. Absolutely. Gone are the days when The Guardian was a lone voice in challenging News International's version of events. The whole of Fleet Street has turned on the company.
Most of the papers are demanding Rebecca's resignation. Even one of its own titles, The Times, is condemning the company's actions. A knock on the door and Rebecca beckons in senior manager Will Lewis. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Good, please. There's a lot of pressure on that good news to be very good. Good news, I found that sellotape you lost. Is that it? Today of all days? It's fajitas day in the canteen.
Will tells her there's a story on the BBC that it was Andy Coulson who was making payments to the police. OK, not bad. That's fairly good news in that situation. Well done, Will. Yeah. That will deflect blame from Rebecca to Coulson.
They've also made it clear that she was on holiday when Millie Dowler's phone was being hacked. Ah, the classic, I was on holiday at the time defence. But in this case, it is actually true. God, that's lucky. Yes, I was in Benidorm. Get in. I wasn't here. I told you, water the plants, the bins are out on Tuesday and don't hack phones. Well, Matt, we haven't even got to the bad news yet. Oh, no.
The scandal has started to affect Rupert Murdoch's wider business. News International is planning to buy out broadcaster BSkyB. Politicians are calling for it to be stopped. 60,000 people have signed an online petition. Shares in BSkyB are dipping in value. Murdoch's grand plan is crumbling.
Her phone rings. Rupert calling from New York. Hand shaking. Rebecca hesitates. Then picks up. Rebecca, I know what you're thinking. Don't do anything rash. I'm going to make a statement condemning what the paper did and saying we'll cooperate with any further police inquiries. I think we just lost our entire Antipodean audience. You've been practising. But there has to be some sort of sacrifice. Something to show the public we really are remorseful. But then, a curveball. I'm closing the news of the world.
It's like a sucker punch to Rebecca. She's survived, but at the highest price. A 168-year-old newspaper is going to die and she has to organise its funeral. Imagine doing a reading at that funeral. I'll never forget the first words I read in the news of the world. F1 boss has sick Nazi orgy with hookers. I'm going to miss it so much. And then nothing compares to you by Sinead O'Connor kicks in.
Friday the 8th of July, whopping. Rebecca has been holed up in her office all morning. Her PA, Cheryl, has buzzed constantly with people who want to speak to her. She's refused calls from everyone but her husband, Charlie. This is the worst day of Rebecca's career. She has to put over 300 people out of a job. She's asked IT to suspend the internal mailing system to avoid the news reaching the press before the staff.
But Rebecca knows how quickly gossip spreads. She can't leave this any longer. Flanked by two burly security guards, Rebecca walks into the office of the News of the World. If only she'd kept that suit of armour. Not now, Matthew. Could have used that today. The staff are already assembled. I'm sure you've all heard the rumours by now, and I'm afraid it's true. Rupert Murdoch is closing the paper. There are a few gasps, some sobs. Rebecca forces herself to go on.
They've lost advertisers. News agents across the UK are refusing to stock the paper. Even the Royal British Legion is condemning them. One of the reporters cuts in. Are you resigning, Rebecca? Bloody hell, you turn quickly. Give it a beat. She's your boss, mate. Wind it in. For once, she doesn't know what to say. There are murmurs of discontent as the staff come to their own conclusions. That's a no, then. Now, another reporter pipes up. Are we being sacrificed just so you can keep your job?
This is amazing. It's a bloodbath. And another. Your actions have made this paper toxic. That comment is met with applause. Rebecca tries to tell them about severance packages. No one's listening anymore. Most of the staff head off to drown their sorrows in the nearest pub, the Old Rose. Rebecca is not invited. I think that would hurt me the most. You went to the pub and didn't tell me? That's low, man. Rebecca's like, I've put some money behind the bar. Anyone?
Rebecca's left alone in the office. Her position is safe for now. But a British institution has gone down on her watch. And she's still in the eye of the storm. She can only hope she remains standing until it passes. Unlike the staff who went to the Old Rose, who won't be able to stand for days. That evening, at home, James Murdoch paces up and down in his study.
Rupert Murdoch's son has been the chairman of News International for four years now. He runs a hand through his short, cropped hair and checks the clock. He's been dreading this call all day. Now he just wants to get it over with. Pizza hut running late. Finally, it's 11pm. James sits down at his computer and dials through for the family's scheduled conference call. Soon he'll be sharing the screen with Rupert and his older siblings Lachlan and Liz.
I would love to be a fly on the wall for that call. I mean, we all sort of dread family Zoom calls, so I kind of know how he feels, but it's on a different level, isn't it? Yeah, it was Murdoch. Rupert, you're on mute. No, I can hear you. You can't hear me. Look, in the bottom left, there's the microphone. There's a little arrow next to that. Well, things get heated quickly and not because of technical difficulties.
Liz immediately lays into Rebecca, saying she needs to go. James defends her, though. She's been a good ally since he became chairman. Then you're both to blame. You should step back too.
They all know that this whole business is jeopardising the most important thing to the Murdoch empire right now. Family. Almost. The B-Sky-B deal they're trying to push through parliament. News Corp set aside £8.2 billion for this one project, and James was put in charge of it when he became chairman in 2009. It would make Murdoch the richest broadcaster in Britain, with the greatest commercial power. With so much profit, he'd be able to borrow more money.
Enough to take over one of the few remaining global media groups bigger than his, maybe Disney or Time Warner. James was so confident he even nicknamed the deal Project Rubicon. So you mean like the juice? Yeah, you can pretty much only get in kebab shops. Delicious though. They're always weird flavours, aren't they? Like mango and meat. For international listeners, I mean, next time you're in the UK, please sample the delights of a Rubicon. Fizzy chicken and grape. Yeah.
But strangely, that's not actually what the name was referencing. That's when Julius Caesar marched his army across the River Rubicon and seized absolute power with barely a fight. But the most important member of the family hasn't spoken yet. What do you think, Dad? Rupert is silent for a moment. He is on mute.
It's late in the UK. Let's sleep on it. Talk again tomorrow. As he hangs up, James knows his position looks exposed. Keeping Rebecca risks the biggest deal he's ever been put in charge of. If that falls through, his tenure as chairman will be a complete joke. Maybe it's time she goes, or it'll be him instead. Not the time to be the only member of the crew, not family. Oof, terrible time. It's Sunday, the 10th of July, 2011, central London.
Rupert Murdoch steps out of his hotel into a scrum of paparazzi. Rebecca Brooks is by his side. Rupert knows everyone is now waiting on the biggest decision he has to make. What to do about Rebecca?
Closing the news of the world wasn't enough. The public, Parliament, his own family, they all want Rebecca's head on a platter. Or just her resignation. Either or. Yeah. Rupert could certainly do without the distraction she's causing. He's here to get the BSkyB deal back on track. The opposition leader has called for a Commons vote in a few days' time. It could kill the bid.
The shouts from reporters continue. Rupert knows he can't ignore them forever. Mr Murdoch, what's your priority now? Rupert knows it should be the company. The B-Sky B-Deal. Restoring his reputation. But this time, he gestures to Rebecca. This one. Rupert has made his choice. Standing by her will be his biggest challenge yet.
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It's Wednesday the 12th of July, three days after the closure of the News of the World. As he enters the House of Commons, Tom Watson should be in a celebratory mood. Bespectacled with short cropped hair and a portly frame, the 44-year-old Labour MP has spent five years trying to make people see the truth about News International. Now, after a week of damning revelations, they do.
Watson's a fascinating figure and he really went for the Murdoch empire and he knows what it's like to bring down a powerful figure because he triggered the resignation of Tony Blair as Prime Minister so that his friend Gordon Brown could take over. Yes, and Rebecca Brooks is very pally with Tony Blair and Cherie, so she didn't like that one bit. The News of the World and the Sun has run negative stories about Tom ever since and he's convinced their report has broken to his home too. I mean, I can see how that might affect his opinion. Sure, sure.
Today, Tom and his fellow MPs hold the future of the BSkyB bid in their hands. There's going to be a vote in Parliament over whether it should go ahead. He's been tipped off that James and Rupert Murdoch have been in meetings all morning and making calls. They're clearly trying to drum up support. But a couple of hours later, there's a breakthrough. The Liberal Democrats make it clear they will vote against the bid.
They'll tip the voting stats away from Murdoch. Faced with almost certain defeat, the Conservatives announced they will also vote against. Shortly after that, there's a statement from News Corp. It's withdrawing the bid. The Murdochs have jumped before they can be pushed. The leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband, speaks in the Commons. Here we go. Oh God, I can't do Miliband. Go on, do it for us if I give you the words. OK.
The painful truth is that for all of us, for far too long, have been enthralled to some sections of the media, including News International. But no longer. The events of the past seven days have given us the chance to say it doesn't have to be like this.
Is it hay fever season? Why is he so nasal? The honest answer, Alice, is a deviated septum. And that is the truth. It's an honour to be here with you today. I'm a big fan of the show. I love podcasts. And I love your podcasts. The battle against the press is far from over. The government has been forced to announce a public inquiry. The Murdochs and Rebecca Brooks still have a lot of questions to answer.
It's the following day at News International HQ Wapping. In his plush office on the 10th floor, James Murdoch is in a meeting with his father and several close advisors. The police want to interview Rebecca Brooks. Dad, we all love Rebecca. She's practically family, but she's not a Murdoch. Are you going to keep letting her off the hook while the rest of us have to sacrifice so much? Rupert remains silent. He's still on mute. He's missed some really big decisions.
For a moment, James thinks he's still going to refuse. But then Rupert sadly nods his head. OK. James allows himself a small smile of triumph, but it's quickly wiped off his face. I've been thinking, after all that's happened, maybe Liz was right about you stepping back. I'm pulling you out of the UK operation. You can come and work with me in New York for a while. The colour drains from James's face...
So Rupert had listened to Liz. Yes, and famously Liz said about Rebecca and James that they had, and I quote, fucked the company. Whoa.
No ambiguity there. And to add insult to injury, Rupert says to him, can you stick around long enough to attend next week's Common Select Committee as well so that you can answer for all the bad decisions you made when you were the chairman? Oh. Thanks for the leaving, do. You're sacked, but not in time to escape this kicking on live TV from a load of MPs who hate us. But then by all means, use your holiday leave. We'll give you those three toil days you had left over from February. And we've done a whip around. Yeah.
In no uncertain terms, it's awful for James. The B Sky B deal is toast. James' career at News International is over. But his time under the microscope isn't. This is going to get worse before it gets better. It's Friday the 15th of July, whopping. As Rebecca ushers senior managers Will Lewis and Simon Greenberg into her office, she tells them she knows why they're here.
She can't stall the police any longer. She has to go and answer their questions. But she reassures Lewis and Greenberg it's just routine. They're talking to everyone. So she doesn't know yet, does she? Nope. For once, Rebecca Brooks is out of the loop. It's massively awkward for Lewis and Greenberg. They exchange sheepish looks before delivering the bad news. They've had word from Rupert. It's been decided that Rebecca has to resign.
You people are mad. She doesn't say that, surely. Apparently that is exactly what she says. Rebecca can't comprehend that Rupert wouldn't give her a heads up. But that's not the worst of it. She needs to be out of the building by lunchtime. The police need to search her office.
It finally sinks in for Rebecca. This is really happening. She picks up the phone and calls James Murdoch. Oh, man. She wants to negotiate. As well as a payoff, she's after a promise that News Corp will fund her lawyers for any criminal or civil action arising from her work. She also wants a security team whose brief includes protecting her from the news media. And you have to promise you will never listen to any of my voicemails. LAUGHTER
She then negotiates a severance deal worth over £10 million. And there's one last request. This didn't just happen on my watch. If I'm going, Les Hinton has to go too. And he was the CEO before Rebecca. So she's making it look like she's not the only one. They were all at it and it spreads the responsibility. Yes. And he worked with Murdoch for 52 years. Les resigns from his senior post in New York the same day.
All that's left for Rebecca to do is bid farewell to her loyal PA, Cheryl. Then she leaves Wapping for the last time, a security guard by her side. The waiting paps snap away. Rebecca knows there will be plenty of people celebrating her demise. Celebs and politicians she's stitched up over the years. Former News of the World employees rival Fleet Street executives. Her phone buzzes with support messages from the likes of Tony Blair and current Prime Minister David Cameron.
Rebecca puts on a brave face, but nothing can take away from the fact that she's lost the job she loves. Worse, for the first time in 20 years, she's lost control of her own story. Later that day, in a suite at One Old Witch London, Rupert Murdoch checks his reflection in the mirror. He adjusts his tie, knowing all eyes will be on him when he leaves here. Rupert doesn't like being the centre of attention. What is it with these guys? Honestly!
He prefers his paper and news channels to speak for him. But coming here today was his idea. Rupert's hoping it will calm the media storm. He exits the suite, walks the short distance down the corridor to where lawyer Mark Lewis is waiting. Okay, let's do this. I've kind of turned him into an action hero. Yeah, that sounded great. Mark nods, then ushers Rupert into another suite where the parents and sister of Millie Dowler are waiting. He shakes hands with the Dowlers.
He tells them he accepts full responsibility for Millie's phone being hacked by the news of the world. I'm sorry, this should never have happened. This was not the standard set by my father or my mother. It's not often he's called upon to show this kind of contrition. Once he starts apologising, he can't even look at them. He puts his head in his hands and says sorry over and over again. It's so hard to know whether he's being sincere or not. I know.
A little later, Rupert watches the first news reports go out. Rebecca Brooks has resigned. He's lost the B-Sky-B deal. Now he's apologised. Surely that will be enough.
But still the sceptics voice their concerns. The backlash is as strong as ever. If Murdoch's business interests in the UK are going to survive, he can't leave it to his son James or to Rebecca or to anyone else for that matter. He needs to face down his harshest critics himself. He needs to take back control. It's Sunday 17th July 2011, South London.
Rebecca Brooks' executive car pulls up outside Lewisham Police Station. She kisses her husband, Charlie, and asks her driver to wait. This shouldn't take long. Inside the station, she waits for an officer to arrive. She reflects on what a tough fortnight it's been. All she wants to do is go back to her country home and wait for the dust to settle. Knowing Charlie, though, he'll insist on flying them to Venice for lunch. Venice? For lunch? Yeah, why?
Well, that's just, oh, all of a sudden I thought, oh, am I the unusual one? This is actually a true detail, though. There's an interview that Charlie did with Tatler just before their wedding. And he said his ideal weekend involved whisking Rebecca off to Venice for lunch at Harry's Bar, then doing some sightseeing and shopping by the canals, then straight back to London for dinner at Wilton's Oyster Bar in Mayfair. That's how they roll. I mean, it's very different to my...
Or is it actually? Because I live a similar life. If you swap Wilton's Oyster Bar for Greg's and the canals of Venice for a puddle outside of Wetherspoons. Same, same. Yeah, I can see water and I'm having a nice time. Well, Rebecca is thinking of those calm canals in Venice when a voice brings her back down to earth.
A police officer informs her she's under arrest. It is just like most Saturdays. Rebecca's confused. No, I came here to answer questions by appointment as a witness, not a suspect. That's not what I've been told. You should call your lawyer. You're going to need one. Rebecca suddenly realises she was right to get Rupert to cover her legal fees. She's in even more trouble than she thought.
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And being empty is the saddest bit. Sorry, one friend and six bottles of wine? Geezers.
He looks at his watch. His stomach lurches. He needs to collect his things from the underground car park. Oh, the mysterious jiffy bag. Yes, and the laptop. He gave them to Rebecca's security chief, Mark Hanna, before the police came to search their flat. The deal was Mark would drop them back behind the bins first thing in the morning. Trouble is, Charlie's slept in. So what time is it now? 1pm. Oh, what an idiot. Not today, mate. Of all days...
No! No!
Charlie hangs up. He's trying very hard not to panic. He looks around the empty car park, trying to work out who might have taken it. Then he checks every single bin. They're all empty. Maybe the cleaner's got it. He heads to the building manager's office. He tries to sound as casual as possible. Hi there. A friend left a bag for me last night and there's been a bit of a mix-up.
The duty manager hears Charlie out, flashes him an apologetic smile. Sorry, nothing's been handed in. I'll look into it, though. Charlie knows he can't arouse suspicion. There's no choice. He heads back up to the flat. Upstairs, Rebecca's watching the news. Her arrest is the top story. Charlie doesn't want to burden Rebecca anymore. He knows she has enough on her plate, but his worried expression gives him away. Charlie, what is it? I've done something silly.
Makes it sound like he's peed his pants. Daddy, I've been very silly. Silly? I've, um, ruined your life. Not so big a little bit silly. I couldn't even latch up in the bed and I slept in. Of all the times to sleep in. The next day, Tuesday 19th July 2011, Houses of Parliament. James Murdoch glances behind him at the packed committee room waiting to hear him speak. Today's Common Select Committee hearing is the biggest show in town.
But the person sitting next to him is the real Star-Turne. His dad, Rupert Murdoch. It's rare for Rupert to speak publicly, even rarer for father and son to appear together.
Several hostile MPs are waiting to bait them. The press corps is out in force. The public gallery is packed. I feel like we should have popcorn or beers. I know, right? And from what I remember, they were quite an odd double act and Rupert played it quite frail and slightly doddery. Which is kind of how I play him. Yeah, you've really captured him there. James looks like he'd rather not be here at all. He starts to speak, but his dad cuts him off.
I just want to say, this is the most humble day of my life. As the session gets underway, Rupert pauses and blinks when considering each question. He's quietly matter-of-fact when answering. He's asked whether he knew about criminality at the company. I didn't know of it. This is not an excuse, it's an explanation. The news of the world is less than 1% of our company. I employ 53,000 people across the world.
The MP asks who should be held responsible then. The people I trusted to run the company and the people they trusted. James is chairman of News International. He knows it looks like even his dad is blaming him. Then suddenly someone rushes into the room and tries to stick a plate of whipped cream in Rupert's face.
This is amazing. It was like the most British way to protest against global powers, to just custard pie him like he was at the circus. It's so slapstick. And also, I thought a lot about the logistics of it. Do you enter the building with it under a cloche? Like, how are you getting that past security? If you walk into Parliament, processing through like a crown on a cushion. It wouldn't set off the metal detectors, would it? That's true.
But I think they would see it. Also, it might curdle by the time you've got there. You want the whipped cream to be fluffy. You want it to have body. If that's dropped, you've lost a lot of the drama. That's very true. And I wonder what sort of foam he used. Did he use shaving foam that expands quickly, the old Gillette stuff? Or does he use squirty cream, in which case...
That would go off in a hot committee room under the lights. Can you imagine? Yeah. I think there's actually a separate series on this. Yeah, and the other bit that was great was Wendy Deng, Rupert Murdoch's then wife, who's a bit more sprightly than him. That's how he likes them. She gets up and smacks the bloke round the face. Quite violently. It was a whole hoo-ha. Tell me something, from that day then, what do you remember the most? The answers the Murdochs gave or Pie Gate? Oh, the pie. The pie, every time. Which actually works out quite well for James.
The moment it happens, the MPs lose their line of questioning. All press and public are cleared from the room. That afternoon, the Select Committee reconvenes. It's Rebecca Brooks' turn to face the MPs' questions. She's been answering questions for the past 20 minutes, and up until now, it's gone well. The custard pie from this morning seems to have taken the heat off her a little. But Rebecca is way out of her comfort zone. Back in 2003, at another Select Committee, she slipped up.
She was asked if the news of the world paid the police for information. She said yes, they did. Andy Coulson managed to explain it away. But it was a rare mistake, but a memorable one. Rebecca's avoided speaking in public as much as possible since. Then it's the turn of Labour MP Tom Watson to ask the questions. He's been on the wrong end of her paper's coverage before. Now she's on his turf. He looks her dead in the eye.
He's reminding the committee and the viewers at home of her recent arrest.
Then he asks about the company's use of private investigators. She reminds the committee that the same well-known investigators have also been used by The Observer, The Guardian, The Daily Mail. I love that as a defence. Yeah, I did do it, but so did everyone else. Exactly. Her message is, if this happened, we weren't the only ones. The whole of Fleet Street is guilty. Tom changes tactics. He asks Rebecca if she has any regrets...
Of course I have regrets. The idea that Millie Dowler's phone was accessed by somebody being paid by the News of the World, or even worse, authorised by someone at the News of the World, is as abhorrent to me as it is to everyone in this room. Tom keeps coming at her. And when he's done, the MPs do too. They ask about cover-ups at the company, her relationships with high-ranking police officers. After 90 minutes of questioning, Rebecca's made no slip-ups. She's shown remorse, but she hasn't incriminated herself.
As she leaves court that evening, Rebecca's in no mood to celebrate, though. Tom Watson was right. She's facing criminal proceedings. And a public inquiry is just around the corner. News International's enemies may have lost this battle, but the war is not over yet.
This is the third episode in our series, The Murdoch Phone Hacking. A quick note about our dialogue. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but all of our dramatisations are based on historical research. If you'd like to know more about this story, we especially recommend the books Hack Attack by Nick Davies, Beyond Contempt by Peter Dukes, and The News Machine by Glenn Mulcair and James Hanning. I'm Alice Levine. And I'm Matt Ford. Wendy Grandeter wrote this episode.
Additional writing by Alice Levine and Matt Ford. Our sound design is by Rich Evans. Our senior producer is Russell Finch. Our executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louis for Wondery. This is the emergency broadcast system. A ballistic missile threat has been detected inbound to your area. Your phone buzzes and you look down to find this alert. What do you do next? Maybe you're at the grocery store. Or maybe you're with your secret lover. Or maybe you're robbing a bank.
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