Writer: James Graham
Director: Jess Staufenberg
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Newsworthy”
4 / 5
Rupert Murdoch – the Australian media tycoon who built a global news empire, became one of the most powerful figures of the last century and is never far away from controversy.
In 1968, Murdoch (Zane Fleming) left Australia and set his sights on the UK, acquiring News of the World, and then The Sun a year later. With failing readership, fierce competition from The Mirror and just one month to turn the paper around, it was a substantial challenge, but one Murdoch was excited to take head on. Appointing Larry Lamb (Christopher Lloyd James) as editor, he largely gave Lamb the wheel to transform the ‘boring broadsheet’ into a tantalising tabloid for the working class reader. James Graham’s intriguing storyline follows the first year at The Sun in their bid to overtake The Mirror’s readership and become a staple UK newspaper.
Having little knowledge around the origins of The Sun, and being taken on the journey within the newsroom makes for a fascinating story. Jess Staufenberg’s direction sustains a fast-paced intensity throughout, as the team approach their one-year deadline, capturing the pressure and excitement of working against the clock for publication. The first act is mostly Lamb recruiting his team and creating the vision for the paper together, making integral decisions around colour, font, layout, and content that wind up shaping the paper into what we know and recognise even today.
The second act hurtles straight into the chaos of their first year, and despite the first few prints being littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, readership is up, and new tactics are constantly being discussed on how to grab more readers – whether it’s themed weeks, bigger competitions, or more focus on what is happening behind closed doors. Amidst their growing success, tragedy strikes when Muriel McKay (Alice Croucher), the wife of one of the executives, is kidnapped (mistaken for Murdoch’s spouse), and becomes the first kidnap-for-ransom case in the UK. The sense of urgency and panic is showcased brilliantly by the cast, and their devastation as they realise they may have been culpable with their constant coverage shown extremely effectively. Also showcased is the implementation of Page 3 glamour models into the paper, with Stephanie Rahn (Billie Straughn) being the first topless model, and the subject of widespread shock, controversy and media attention, that spiked the papers sales and changed the future of British tabloids for many years to come.
Running at just short of 3 hours, it is a lengthy production, that at times, benefit from a tighter edit to trim some of the more repetitive / less essential scenes. Overall though, it does a great job of keeping the audience engaged, telling the intriguing narrative and building up the interest in the growth of the controversial newspaper. The cast successfully add an element of realism and believability, with Lloyd James and Fleming in particular delivering captivating performances, in this well-crafted production that brings the true story to life with energy and conviction.
Runs until 13th June 2026
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