There are historical events in life that you'll always remember exactly what you were doing and where you were when you lived through it. Newsnight's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, 2019 interview has become one of such events.
The painstakingly thorough interview by journalist Emily Maitlis became painful viewing as she took the royal to task for his association and alleged involvement in the late Jeffrey Epstein's accused sex trafficking and abuse. Prince Andrew has denied that he was a co-conspirator of Epstein and sexual abuse allegations. In spite of (or perhaps because of) the heavy subject matter and accusations at hand, the internet and public at large were bemused and outraged by the Duke's awkward and almost light-hearted objections of innocence, which included farcical reference to a Pizza Express in Woking and an inability to sweat.
While multiple documentaries and exposé articles have attempted to get to the truth of these serious sexual abuse allegations in the years since, there is one story yet untold on the screen, until now. And that's the story of Newsnight booker, Sam McAlister, and her account of the TV get of the century in Scoops, now retold with Netflix as Scoop.
Here's everything you need to know about Scoop...
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Who stars in Scoop?
For a retelling of such a blockbuster event as the original interview, the film adaptation has an equally blockbuster cast. Bedecked with national treasures, Scoop stars Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew, Gillian Anderson as Maitlis, Billie Piper as Newsnight booker McAlister and Keeley Hawes as the Duke of York's private secretary.
Sewell was somewhat transformed for the role with padding added to his body and prosthetics to his face (as well as a wig) to make him resemble his royal muse. In the end, the prosthetics team were forced to remove some of their original work, however, so Sewell could move his face better.
'When they did the first iteration of the make-up it was extraordinary, the most I ever looked like him was when I had these eyelids that they put on that just,' Sewell told ELLE UK. 'It was the final thing that made me from some angles indistinguishable in repose especially, but I realised I couldn't move them without being aware of them, so we removed them.'
Piper's metamorphosis into the inimitable McAlister avoided prosthetics, instead leaning on Mobwife-esque costume choices of leopard print heels and chunky jewellery, bold make-up and, as Piper told ELLE UK, a very expensive wig. In fact, Piper is carrying a piece of McAlister with her for a good decade, since she was wearing the peroxide blonde, curled wig for her passport photo.
Is Scoop a true story?
Scoop is the filmic adaptation of Sam McAlister's own account (from the book, Scoops) of booking Prince Andrew for a Newsnight interview. McAlister's behind-the-scenes retelling focusses on how she negotiated with the Duke's press secretary for the interview, what the pressures were in the BBC and her home life, with some reference made to the wider Epstein story via her contact with a New York-based paparazzo.
Piper describes McAlister as, 'formidable' and credits her involvement in the film to McAlister's moral compass and 'icon status'. 'It felt important to champion these women who were behind the scenes and understand that it was women fighting for women,' Piper told ELLE UK. 'She's very much connected to fighting for people on behalf of people that don't have that opportunity. She's powerful, she's f*cking smart and she's really warm.'
Of course, Scoop is still a dramatisation, with many scenes being imagined. Having said that, both McAlister and a royal expert were on hand to speak to veracity.
There's one particularly chilling scene where viewers see Prince Andrew's undoubtedly creepy collection of soft toys arranged on his bed, while director Philip Martin couldn't conclusively say this was 100% true, he was confident in his research, telling us: 'The teddies on the bed is really well researched, there's a lot of lot of evidence around that. According to one person who worked in the palace, there's a laminated A4 sheet of paper in the palace speaking to the position of the teddies.'
Does Scoop recreate the original interview?
You'll be pleased to know that Scoop does recreate some of the almost hour-long original Newsnight interview in all its cringey glory. In fact, this was the first scene all the cast filmed together. 'It was quite formidable,' Sewell told ELLE UK.
It was, of course, a major piece of inspiration for director Martin, who was fascinated by the apparent gulf between how the Duke felt the interview went, and how the public received it. 'I heard that Andrew had thought the interview had gone really well, and that distance between how he thought it had gone and how everybody else thought it went felt like very interesting area for a drama to occupy,' Martin told ELLE UK.
When and how can I watch Scoop?
Scoop is available to watch on Netflix from April 5, 2024.
If squirming in your seat is something you enjoy, then you're in for one hell of a ride with Scoop.
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Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
