Sky News has hired hiring an actor to reconstruct the Duke of Sussex’s courtroom evidence.
Outlander star Laurence Dobiesz will be bringing to life “significant moments” from the statements made by Prince Harry in London’s High Court this week in his claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, in what has been branded on social media as a “bizarre editorial decision”.
Each night at 9pm, Sky News broadcaster Jonathan Samuels is set to present the special programme, titled Harry In Court, with Dobiesz voicing evidence given by the duke.
The decision has been criticised as “bonkers”, “surreal” and “creepy” by social media users. “This reconstruction is a really bizarre thing to do. Totally unnecessary,” wrote one Twitter user.
While another said: “This is so unbelievably cringe. “I have second hand embarrassment watching even a minute of it. A transcript would’ve sufficed”.
Other users criticised Mr Dobiesz’s performance as “community theatre” after a preview clip of Dobiesz’s portrayal was posted on social media.
The actor has previously appeared in historical drama Outlander, as well as 2011 film Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows which starred Robert Downey Jr.
Prince Harry, 38, is testifying in court this week in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), claiming journalists at its titles were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
MGN is contesting his claim and has either denied or not admitted that articles about Harry being examined at the trial involved phone hacking or unlawful activity.
On Tuesday, Harry faced nearly five hours of questions from a barrister for MGN as he became the first senior royal in more than two decades to personally appear in court proceedings.
His claim is being heard alongside three other “representative” claims during a trial which began last month and is due to last six to seven weeks.
The three other representative claimants are Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, who is best known for playing Kevin Webster in the long-running soap, former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman.
Sky News’s executive editor and managing director Jonathan Levy has said the reconstruction of the duke’s evidence will “offer viewers an accurate and fair representation of what is said and a better understanding of how the case unfolds” as no cameras or recording are allowed in the courtroom.
“Sky News has a long tradition of reconstructing off-camera proceedings, with our re-enactment of the Michael Jackson trial in 2005 and Hutton Inquiry in 2003,” he added.
Broadcaster GB News also featured its own reconstruction of courtroom proceedings, following the first day of Harry’s evidence.
A clip posted online showed an unnamed white actor with ginger hair in a mocked up courtroom setting, answering questions from another actor, dressed as a barrister.
