Dial M for movie: Tom Watson's hacking book heads to Hollywood

Now Tom Watson's personal account of the phone hacking scandal is in line to be turned into a film.

The West Bromwich East MP has been paid £22,385 from the Story Mining and Supply Company in Los Angeles, California, for the rights option to his book, Dial M For Murdoch.

The figure has been declared in the register of members interests, where all MPs have to record details of any outside earnings.

The book was written by Mr Watson and Martin Hickman, a journalist at The Independent.

Dial M For Murdoch gave Mr Watson's account of how he found out about the hacking of mobile phones of celebrities and victims of crime, including the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

Asked who might play him in the film he told the Express & Star: "I've no idea."

However, the actor Nick Frost, who has appeared in comedies such as Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, has previously joked that he would like to play the part.

He announced his interest on Twitter in 2011 saying "I can't wait to play Tom Watson."

And anyone who caught him in The World's End last year might well have thought he had a passing resemblance to the MP, with his hair cut the same way and wearing a very similar pair of rectangular spectacles.

At just under six years Mr Watson's junior, he is probably the closest contender in age.

And while his comments may have been said in jest, if the film really does get made then casting directors are going to be looking for suitable actors.

Dial M For Murdoch also details Mr Watson's encounters with media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son James and the Parliamentary inquiries into the scandal.

An ideal contender for Rupert Murdoch would be Geoffrey Rush, who played George VI's speech therapist in The King's Speech.

Actress Sienna Miller, a high profile victim of phone hacking, could easily play herself as could Hugh Grant, the figurehead of the Hacked Off campaign to regulate the press.

Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills also claimed her phone was hacked, but by someone from the Mirror rather than one of Rupert Murdoch's papers.

She has previously said that she would like Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon to play her in a film about her life. Mr Watson said that he had not heard anything about any progress on a script since last year.

It is unlikely that he will until the conclusion of the trial of former News International boss Rebekah Brooks and others concerning allegations of phone hacking at the now-defunct News Of The World. "I lost all control over the book once we accepted a fee to option it for a film," Mr Watson said. "They are now trying to come up with a script.

"But only 10 per cent of scripts ever become films so we'll just have to wait and see. I'm hoping it does."

The book also includes the time when the older Mr Murdoch was hit by a custard pie thrown by a protestor in front of the committee and when he accused James Murdoch of being a 'mafia' boss.

But there are also personal accounts of the toll it took on his family life, including the breakdown of his marriage to wife Siobhan, the mother of his two children.

He said 'aggressive' media intrusion into his life had led to problems in the relationship.

Mr Watson was put under intense pressure by tabloid newspapers in 2009 when he was wrongly accused of being involved in a campaign set up by civil servant Damian McBride to smear Conservative MPs online using made up rumours.

He protested his innocence, sued the Daily Mail and The Sun and won substantial damages.