Acclaimed Scottish actor Robert Carlyle has revealed that he believes he may have been a victim of tabloid phone-hacking during the 1990s, when he was one of the most in-demand stars in British cinema. Speaking on The Saturday Show on BBC Radio Scotland, the 64-year-old said that working on a new television drama about the phone-hacking scandal has forced him to re-examine unsettling experiences from his own past.

Carlyle, best known for his iconic performances in Trainspotting and The Full Monty, said that during the peak of his fame, he often noticed details of his personal life appearing in the press without any clear explanation of how they had been obtained. At the time, he admitted, he could not make sense of the constant intrusion, since very few people were aware that “private investigators” were being hired to access voicemail messages and then sell the information to major newspapers, including the now-defunct News of the World.

The actor explained that it was only years later, when the phone-hacking scandal came to light in the 2000s and dominated headlines with public inquiries and court cases, that he began to piece together what had likely been happening. Reflecting on those revelations, Carlyle said he now suspects that he too was among the many celebrities, politicians, and public figures whose privacy was secretly and unlawfully violated.

Although he cannot be certain without hard evidence, Carlyle’s reflections highlight the extent to which the scandal left deep scars on those targeted. The revelations shook the British media industry, leading to the closure of News of the World in 2011 and sparking widespread debate about press ethics, regulation, and the balance between journalism and privacy.

By speaking out now, Carlyle has added his voice to the long list of high-profile figures who believe they were victims of unlawful surveillance by the tabloids. His comments underline not only the emotional toll of press intrusion but also the lasting damage caused by the practices of certain sections of the media during that era.

The new drama he stars in revisits the scandal, dramatizing the investigations and the lives impacted by phone-hacking. For Carlyle, the project has become more than just another acting role — it has stirred personal memories of suspicion and discomfort, offering him a chance to reflect on how his own life may have been shaped by the very story he is now helping to retell on screen.