‘There’s a resurgence of respect for what journalism does for the world’
The creator and cast of new series Press tell Gemma Dunn about the newsroombased drama
For a long time Mike Bartlett has wanted to shine a light on the British newspaper industry.
But it’s only now the writer – the brains behind TV hit Doctor Foster – has had his dream realised in Press. A brand new BBC1 drama, it’s set in the fast-paced and challenging environment of the newsroom.
“I thought it was the ideal place for a drama,” Bartlett, 37, says of the six-part series.
“You can have drama in the world of the journalists but also things coming in from outside, so it seemed to me a no-brainer.”
Rather than delve into the intricacies of journalism, however, it’s primarily a show about human beings.
“What’s interesting is the show that was initially in my head was about a quite stable industry, where we knew what a newspaper is,” Bartlett says, having first considered the genre 10 years earlier.
“But over the course of researching and writing this, it became a story about an industry which is changing rapidly and no-one knows what is going to happen to it.”
Its past riven by hacking scandals, its present at the mercy of the digital age, Press isn’t to be missed. But what else do we need to know?
Behind a great drama is a great cast – and Press’s British ensemble will deliver the daily news at two fictional, competing newspapers.
Going head-to-head are industry rivals Charlotte Riley, who plays Holly Evans, the talented deputy news editor of the Herald; and Ben Chaplin, who plays the charming, yet manipulative Duncan Allen, editor of the Post.
Joining them are the likes of Priyanga Burford, Paapa Essiedu, Shane Zaza, Ellie Kendrick, Al Weaver and Poirot star, David Suchet.
As for the setting? It’s London, it’s present day, and the Herald, a left-leaning broadsheet struggling to adapt to the age of digital news, and the Post, a thriving populist tabloid, occupy buildings in the same square.
We first witness the opposing editors meeting when Holly approaches
her rival for CCTV footage obtained by the Post –a request that’s denied when Duncan remembers an uncomplimentary article she once wrote about him.
Seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum, how do their journalistic styles compare?
First and foremost Duncan is “a career journalist,” says Chaplin, 49.
“He’s a little bit amoral, which probably helps in that line of work,” notes the Apple Tree Yard actor.
“He’s very persistent, he never gives up. He’s irresistible – and I don’t mean that in the desire sense, I mean he won’t be stopped,” he elaborates. “And even if he’s beaten he doesn’t really mind, he finds a positive spin on it.”
“Holly is more old-school,” explains Riley, 36, who also worked with Bartlett on TV movie King Charles III.
“The things she bestows upon Leona [her junior reporter, played by Kendrick] are the grassroots, getting out there, finding stories for yourself and getting ahead of the internet,” she adds.
“She comes from a workingclass background and has sacrificed a huge amount to get where she’s got to.”
With the pressure on to deliver a true representation of a working newsroom – “You really want to get it right, as if you don’t, journalists will have something to say about it!” says Riley – the research aspect was key.
For Riley, Chaplin, and the
rest of the cast, that meant paying a visit to national newsrooms.
“We went to the Guardian and the Mirror,” Riley begins. “Each had a different feel; the way they conduct conference is quite different, but the energy is quite similar.
“It’s like walking into a theatre rehearsal and you’re not part of it,” she remembers.
“I was surprised how little eye contact there is. The body language of how people function around each other – they are all lone wolves and yet work seamlessly together.”
“I met David Dinsmore [former editor of the Sun] and I found him to be absolutely fascinating,” Chaplin recalls.
“He’d been the editor of the Sun for several years, so trying to marry certain things that you knew had happened at the Sun under him and then the person that you met was really interesting,” he says.
“It was helpful in terms of the character, because I found him to be really open, honest, charming and disarming, and highly intelligent.”
How has the entire experience – from research through to filming – impacted their view of the press, then?
“I feel like things are changing,” Riley says. “Oprah Winfrey’s shout out to the press at the Golden Globes, I think there’s a resurgence of respect for what journalism does for the world. That’s why Mike wanted to write the piece.”
Chaplin adds, “I totally understand the appeal of being a journalist. Absolutely I do.”
“I was surprised how little eye contact there is–theyarealllone wolves and yet work seamlessly together”
● Press starts on BBC1 on Thursday at 9pm