James Graham's Rupert Murdoch play Ink to transfer to the West End

The Almeida production of James Graham's Ink is set to transfer to the West End later this year following a sell-out run at the Islington venue. 

Graham's play is set in 1969 as Rupert Murdoch buys The Sun newspaper, which was a failing broadsheet paper at the time. Murdoch enlists the help of Larry Lamb as the paper's editor, and together they set about creating a publication for the masses, set to rival the Daily Mirror as the world's biggest-selling newspaper. 

Directed by Rupert Goold, Ink is currently running at the Almeida and stars Bertie Carvel (Matilda) as Rupert Murdoch and Richard Coyle (Born to Kill) plays Larry Lamb. They will reprise their roles in the West End production. 

Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, it will transfer to the Duke of York's in September. Directed by Robert Icke, the Almeida's recent hit production of Hamlet starring Andrew Scott is currently running at the Harold Pinter, a transfer which was also produced by Sonia Friedman. 

The story of Ink looks at the ways Murdoch and Lamb set out to revolutionise tabloid journalism, including the arrival of Page Three, as well as other controversial events surrounding Murdoch's takeover.

Graham's previous work includes This House, a play about the general election and subsequent hung Parliament of 1974, and The Vote, a play set in a Lambeth polling station during the last 90 minutes of voting. The Vote was broadcast on television live from the Donmar Warehouse on the night of the 2015 election, making it the first ever play broadcast at the same time as it was set. 

Bertie Carvel won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2011 for playing Miss Trunchbull in Tim Minchin's musical Matilda. He was nominated for the award in 2008 when he played Leo Frank in Parade at the Donmar, and has since appeared in Bakkhai and The Hairy Ape. Richard Coyle has had an extensive screen career, appearing in films such as Georgia and Going Postal, as well as the NBC series Crossbones. 

Read more about Ink here.