The ensemble cast, led by white British actors like David Tennant, Robert Carlyle, and Toby Jones portraying real figures from the era, includes minor supporting roles for non-white actors (e.g., Adrian Lester as 'Mr Apollo', Ace Bhatti) that feel organic and incidental without clashing with historical context or driving the plot. Themes focus on abuses of power by figures like Rupert Murdoch and institutional failures, offering a left-leaning media critique but lacking any centrality of contemporary progressive activism such as DEI mandates, identity politics, LGBTQ+ representation as focal points, gender/race-swapping, or lectures on systemic oppression tied to race/gender/sexuality.

No creator statements emphasize activist intent, and reception is mixed on dramatic execution (71% Rotten Tomatoes) with some noting 'smug righteousness' in portraying journalists heroically, but zero evidence of audience backlash labeling it 'woke' or prioritizing message over story. This results in a clean, entertainment-focused narrative unburdened by ideological intrusions.