In 2019, Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth, sat down for an exclusive interview with the BBC. During the nearly hour-long conversation, the British royal spoke with journalist Emily Maitlis about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What ensued — not surprisingly — was public outcry and, ultimately, the prince’s stepping down from public duties.
Now, Netflix is recounting the story of the women who worked to make the bombshell interview happen in a new film called Scoop. Directed by Philip Martin and starring Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Billie Piper, Romola Garai and Keeley Hawes, it documents the tireless negotiations, research and preparations leading up to the eye-opening interview.
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Ahead of the film’s Netflix premiere on April 5, here’s what to know about that explosive BBC interview, and what you can expect to learn from this story-behind-the-story.
The revealing interview with Prince Andrew
In November 2019, journalist Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace about everything from his friendship with Epstein to allegations made against him by one of Epstein’s victims. The Duke of York spoke openly about the time he spent with the disgraced financier, acknowledging the many occasions he stayed at Epstein’s mansion — including times when witnesses said they saw young girls entering and leaving the home.
“His house, I described it almost as a railway station,” Prince Andrew said in the interview, “in the sense that there were people coming in and out of that house all the time. What they were doing and why they were there, I had nothing to do with.”
While Prince Andrew spent much of the interview denying having any knowledge about what was happening in Epstein’s home or life, Maitlis pointed to several examples of the two men having spent plenty of time together, even after Epstein became a convicted sex offender.
The aftermath of the interview was almost immediate, as days later, Prince Andrew released a statement announcing he was stepping back from public duties. In the statement, the Duke of York said: “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support. Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
Scoop is based on an insider account
Following that pivotal interview, former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister released a book called Scoops, documenting what happened behind the scenes to land the interview with Prince Andrew. Now, that book has been adapted into the Netflix film Scoop, which shines a light on the women who tirelessly negotiated with the palace and Prince Andrew’s private secretary and spent hours conducting research to prepare for the interview.
“The interview is so significant, but it’s 5% of the story,” McAlister told Netflix’s fandom site Tudum. “What we do is we take you on the journey to how this all began.”
In Scoop, audiences will learn about the BBC’s clash with Buckingham Palace in its effort to secure the high-stakes interview. The film also paints a picture of how much work happened behind the scenes of the headline-grabbing interview, before the cameras even started rolling.
Who stars in the film?
Scoop’s cast features Billie Piper as interview booker Sam McAlister, Gillian Anderson as journalist Emily Maitlis, Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew, Keeley Hawes as Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk and Romola Garai as editor Esme Wren.
Scoop starts streaming on Netflix on April 5. You can also check out our recommendations for the best movies to watch on Netflix.