David Tennant to sue News of World owners over phone hacking
The Doctor Who and Broadchurch actor is one of nine new names who have filed a claim for compensation
Broadchurch and former Doctor Who actor David Tennant is suing the owners of former tabloid News of the World over alleged phone hacking.
Lawyers issued a claim for compensation on Thursday at the High Court in London. Representatives for law film Collyer Bristow said in a statement to the BBC they will be representing nine people in total, including ex-Formula One driver Eddie Irvine.
News UK owned the newspaper until it was shut down by Rupert Murdoch in 2011 in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
Other high-profile names to have settled claims against the paper over phone hacking include Love Actually actor Hugh Grant and singer Charlotte Church.
The law firm told the BBC its clients had been left with "no alternative" to legal action after the closure of a compensation scheme which had served as an alternative to litigation.
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It said the News of the World had previously "admitted and apologised for hacking into the voicemails of a number of high-profile individuals."
Lawyer Steven Heffer, who is acting on behalf of the claimants, told the Press Gazette: “My clients have been left with no alternative but to issue claims in the High Court, and a number of other firms have done so this week.
“News Group has refused to provide disclosure of its wrongdoing, forcing victims into court.”
The phone hacking scandal hit headlines back in 2011 and led to the launch of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics as MPs investigated what went wrong.
Three police investigations also took place into phone hacking and alleged corruption, and the News of the World's editor Andy Coulson was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to hack phones.
Collyer Bristow said its other claimants included Fran Cutler, Jess Morris, Tanya Frayne, Sophia Myles and Rob Gros.
