If there's one thing that royal drama makes for, it's great movies – so Scoop, coming soon on Netflix, is set to be a corker. Even better: its stars Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper have opened up about their roles.
Intriguingly, the movie will tell the story of events leading up to Prince Andrew's car crash BBC Newsnight interview with journalist Emily Maitlis, based on the book Scoops: Behind The Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews by TV producer Sam McAlister – who will also be portrayed in the film by none other than Billie Piper.
A must-watch this summer.
The interview, broadcast in November 2019, was seen by many as a turning point in the Prince Andrew scandal – not long afterwards, he stood down from public duties. And provided the infamous Woking Pizza Express alibi.
Later, in 2022, The Queen announced that he would be stripped of his royal titles, patronages and military affiliations – as he faced a US civil action lawsuit over sexual assault allegations from Virginia Giuffre, allegations which the Prince has always vehemently denied In February 2022, he settled the lawsuit without admitting any liability for wrongdoing.
Here's everything we know about Scoop so far…
What is the plot of Scoop?
If the book is anything to go by, then Scoop will be a behind-the-scenes account of Prince Andrew's now-notorious interview regarding his relationship with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein – telling the story of the team that secured the ‘scoop’.
According to the movie's logline, it will also explore the process of communicating with the royal family's staff and inner circle, as well as delving into Prince Andrew's own psyche.
It reads: “The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen’s ‘favourite son’. From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal – to the jaw dropping interview itself. SCOOP is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings – and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.”
Who is in the cast of Scoop?
Some big names have signed on to bring the story to life. Gillian Anderson will portray journalist Emily Maitlis, while Billie Piper will play producer Sam McAlister – Keeley Hawes also stars as Prince Andrew's private secretary Amanda Thirsk. Playing Prince Andrew is Rufus Sewell, and Romola Garai will play Esme Wren, who was an editor at Newsnight at the time. Sex Education's Connor Swindells will also play photojournalist Jae Donnelly.
Sam McAlister herself tweeted of the news: “Thrilled that my book #Scoops is becoming a Netflix film, with an extraordinary cast. Being played by @billiepiper is beyond my wildest dreams.”
What have the cast and producers said about Scoop?
In an interview with the BBC, Gillian Anderson has opened up about how she nearly turned down the massive role of playing Emily Maitlis.
"It was just too scary to play Emily Maitlis, because she's still living, because she's so formidable, because people know her so well," she explained. Luckily, though, Gillian had a change of heart. "I thought I probably do have to do it because I'm so scared of it."
She also gushed about getting to know the journalist IRL: "I think she's amazing, I've since met her and behaved with her as if I knew her. As if we were best friends."
Describing meeting Emily at a Cancer Research fundraiser at Bafta's headquarters last year, Gillian joked about feeling “dishevelled” next to Emily, who she described looked like a movie star.
"The hilarious part of it was that I had come to this charity event not having prepared at all and was really dishevelled. And she showed up as Emily Maitlis, who looks like a movie star and was tanned, short white skirt and everything. I look like her great aunt in the pictures."
Gillian's research didn't extend to speaking to Emily about her experiences, due to the fact she is involved in the making of a rival Amazon series looking at similar parts of the story called A Very Royal Scandal. Ruth Wilson will play Emily Maitlis while Michael Sheen will play Prince Andrew.
"She knew I was playing her, but has her own project, so was very boundaried about that," Gillian said of Emily.
Billie described her character Sam McAlister, as "a formidable woman with an art of negotiation", "so high energy" and "unlike anyone I've ever met".
Both Gillian and Billie were also clear that the fact that it was women who made the interview happen, was a huge part of what attracted them to their roles.
Newsnight producer Sam McAlister is an executive producer on the film, and when asked why she thought Prince Andrew thought the infamous interview had gone well, her answer is this: “I call it royal delusion.”
She adds: "I was often dealing with heads of state and CEOs at the time, nobody thinks they've done a bad interview. "The level to which they don't think they've done a bad interview probably depends on their level of power and their level of understanding their own capabilities. Prince Andrew had 59 years of being told he was incredible."
Sam also described how emotional she got seeing Billie Piper portray her and her journey. “To see Billie encapsulate my life for over a decade, I found it pretty moving,” she said. “To see her bouncing with the curls and lashings of lip-gloss, coffee in hand. No-one has an expectation to end up being played by Billie Piper in a Netflix movie.”
When will Scoop air on Netflix?
It will be available to stream on Netflix on 5 April.
Is there a trailer for Scoop?
There is indeed. We see the star-studded cast in their full royal/journo get-ups, and it looks like Billie Piper and Gillian Anderson may completely butt heads. The drama we've been waiting for.
It opens with an impactful line: “An hour of television can change everything.” We also see Gillian's character, Emily Maitlis, joke about being smuggled into Buckingham Palace and the double standards of the stakes at play. It is pointed out that if the interview is played out wrong, the story wouldn't be about Prince Andrew – it would be about the female journalists who took him on. What a story.
We also know that Rufus Sewell sat in the makeup chair for 3 hours before filming to achieve Prince Andrew's “look”, and the result is quite staggering. We see Gillian Anderson sparkle as Emily Maitlis as she gives the royal a grilling.
Billie Piper is looking shrewd and studious as Sam McAlister, undoubtedly a central role in the movie as the real-life Sam penned the book it's based on.
We also see powerhouse Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk, presumably bringing in a team of cameramen and other professionals to prepare Prince Andrew for the fated interview. Prime drama.
What else do we know about Scoop?
Philip Martin (The Crown, Catherine The Great) will direct the film, and has given a little more insight into what we can expect.
“Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breath-aking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections,” he told Netflix.
“It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true.”
Interestingly, Amazon are also developing a series about Prince Andrew's interview, with Michael Sheen playing the Prince and Ruth Wilson playing Emily Maitlis.
You can also still watch the infamous interview that inspired the film here – in which Prince Andrew denies ever meeting Virginia Giuffre and defends his association with Jeffrey Epstein:
