Running at King’s Head Theatre until early May is ‘In The Print’, a politically charged thriller about the ‘Battle Of Wapping’ – the long running mid-1980s clash between media magnate Rupert Murdoch and SOGAT union leader Brenda Dean over the former’s plans to revolutionise the newspaper production process, and the corresponding loss of jobs. 

The play is by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky – who of course have previous form for creating excellent politics-based scripts, with work like ‘The Gang Of Three’, ‘Brexit’ and ‘Coalition’ – and is directed by Josh Roche. 

And the show has a great cast and creative team behind it. I had a quick chat with familiar face from film and TV Alan Cox, who plays Murdoch, to find out more.

CM: Can you start by telling us what to expect from ‘In The Print’ in terms of the story? Who is it about and where does the narrative take us? 
AC: It’s a 90 minute rollercoaster telling the story of a brutal chapter in the history of advancing technology around the business practice of consumer media. 

CM: What themes does the play explore?
AC: The ethics of progress and what it takes to break solidarity among principled people.

CM: It feels political, obviously, but would you say it has a specific message? 
AC: Be decent or damn your soul. And work out what it means to compromise.

CM: This is based on real people and events – how close to those real events is this depiction?
AC: The events are real though some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent and preserve the anonymous. 

CM: What is your role in the play and what attracted you to it? 
AC: I play Rupert Murdoch and a journalist from Port Talbot. I was attracted to playing Murdoch because I was interested in wearing his skin and seeing what the world looked like through his eye balls when he was my age or thereabouts.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about the rest of the cast? 
AC: We identify as four males and two females. We play multiple roles. Some more than others. 

CM: And can you tell us a bit about yourself? What made you want to work in the arts? Was it what you always wanted to do?
AC: My mother went to RADA and my father went to LAMDA, and I have been a professional actor since I was five years old.

I was doing my O-Levels having just appeared in the film ‘Young Sherlock Holmes And The Pyramid of Fear’ at the time that ‘In The Print’ is set. I myself went to LAMDA from 1988 to 1991.

I was born into a household which valued the arts and believed that pretending to be other people in the service of storytelling is a perfectly respectable thing to do. I started in show business at an early age. I am perfectly content to be still at it. 

CM: What have been the highlights of your career thus far? 
AC: Playing Rupert Murdoch in ‘In The Print’ is my career highlight so far.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future? 
AC: I want to be able to cover the costs of the new bathroom which is currently being fitted upstairs.

CM: What’s coming up next for you after this?
AC: I am off to Prague to film a few more episodes of a TV series I have been working on. But I have signed an NDA so I can’t say what it is!

‘In The Print’ is on at the King’s Head Theatre until 3 May. See the venue website here for more information and to book tickets. 

LINKS: kingsheadtheatre.com | x.com/Coxitude