TV comedy penned on British hacking scandal

A British television channel said Friday it has commissioned an hour-long satire based on the phone-hacking scandal engulfing tabloid newspapers, politicians and the police. "Hacks", the show's working title, is set at a fictional paper where staff get stories by any means necessary, including hacking into voicemails, blagging (obtaining personal data without consent) and pinging (locating people using their mobile phones). Shane Allen, Channel 4's head of comedy, who commissioned the show, said they wanted to be "quick off the mark to shine a satirical light on what's been happening in the media over the last few months". The hacking scandal at media baron Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid has forced the closure of the Sunday paper and triggered a series of inquiries, resignations and arrests. "Hacks" is being penned by Guy Jenkin, who co-wrote Channel 4's 1990-1998 situation comedy "Drop the Dead Donkey", which was set at a fictional television news company. "We hope to be faster and funnier than all the inquiries so far," Jenkin said. Channel 4 is a private broadcaster with a public service remit.