Piers Morgan shares chilling details of Rebekah Brooks’ wedding to Charlie Brook in 2009 during The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty.
In the second instalment of the thrilling BBC docuseries, which follows the extraordinary rise of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, looks back at the Brooks wedding which was attended by the UK’s political elite, and ultimately played a pivotal part in the billionaire deciding which Prime Minister he’d be backing at the 2010 general election.
While most nuptials are all about the bride and groom, Rebekah and Oliver were, if anything, a distraction for the likes of David Cameron and George Osborne to get their teeth into Murdoch.
‘It was a classic meeting of celebrities, editors, politicians and there was a lot of tension there between a lot of groups,’ Piers recalled. ‘Newspapers have turned over half of these.
‘I watched these big politicians at this wedding circled him and try and be the favoured one, and actually it was important.’
‘These politicians gathered like locusts around Rupert,’ he continued.
‘Desperate for his patronage, desperate to impress him, desperate for him to like them. Rupert didn’t care if he liked them or not – “are they going to damage my interests?”’
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Shortly after the Brooks wedding, Murdoch’s papers took a drastic U-turn to back Cameron after pledging their allegiance to Gordon Brown. The then leader of the opposition also happened to be close pals and neighbours with Rebekah’s husband, Charlie.
Following the abolishment of News of The World, Piers famously became better known as a Britain’s Got Talent judge or that fiery presenter from Good Morning Britain.
His recollection of the Murdoch and Brooks era was, however, an essential perspective for The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty.
Director Jamie Roberts told Metro.co.uk: ‘I put it to Piers and said we were interested because he was former editor of News of The World and I think people forget that, but also because I’d read his book and it’s about that 90s period.
‘He’s a great fly on the wall for that – he hired Rebekah so he has this unique perspective. He’s usually used as a pundit or presenter when actually he’s got very good experience of this period of history.’
With Rebekah’s wedding, the personal details is what we really wanted because I felt that’s what the story had been lacking in the past. In the documentary, you’re at the wedding with everybody and you see how it works with Murdoch at this wedding acting like some sort of renaissance Pope deciding which Prime Minister he should back.
‘Piers has been there or there about for about 20 years.’
The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty continues tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.
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