Claudia Jolly in In The Print [Charlie Flint Photography]

IN The Print, by play-writing duo Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, is a fascinating delve into the year-long power struggle between newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch (Alan Cox) and trade union leader Brenda Dean (Claudia Jolly), dubbed “The Battle of Wapping”.

In the mid-80s Murdoch set about revolutionising British newspaper production by replacing the old hot metal presses with new computers, requiring far fewer workers, and moving operations to Wapping.

With 5,000 jobs on the line and the future of both the industry and her own trade union in the balance, Dean, the first woman to be elected general secretary of the Society of Graphical  and Allied Trades (SOGAT), took on Murdoch and his expanding media empire.

“No one wants yesterday’s newspapers” is an oft-repeated refrain, and Dean is confident that the combined strength of the unions can stop him.

But Murdoch uses devious means to get what he wants: when the union went on strike, he immediately sacked more than 5,000 workers, brought in the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to staff the new plant and covertly hired TNT to distribute newspapers by road rather than British Rail.

He was aided in his machinations by his editors Kelvin MacKenzie (Russell Bentley) of The Sun and Andrew Neil (Alasdair Harvey) of The Sunday Times, both of whom helped to control the public narrative.

Margaret Thatcher’s recent legislation weakened the unions further and proved the final nail in the coffin.

It’s a compelling story, and a testament to the cast’s skill that it remains so even though we know the outcome. Josh Roche’s assured production is played out on Peiyao Wang’s simple, ink-spattered set, a stark reminder of all that was lost.

Until May 3
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