November 21st 2023.
The infamous Newsnight interview between journalist Emily Maitlis and the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, is now being turned into an Amazon drama series. Stars Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson will be playing the roles of the Duke and the journalist, respectively.
In November 2019, Maitlis interviewed the Duke of York about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke denied having any sexual contact with Virginia Giuffre, who was only 17 at the time of the incident, and said he had ‘no recollection of ever meeting’ her. This sparked a huge reaction, with Andrew stepping back from royal duties and paying a financial settlement to his alleged victim.
Meanwhile, Maitlis's performance won her several awards. The upcoming series, titled A Very Royal Scandal, will follow Maitlis's professional and personal journey as a Newsnight journalist leading up to her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.
Maitlis, who is now hosting The News Agents podcast with former BBC journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, is also an executive producer on the series. When she saw the cast list, Maitlis wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Blimey. First time I’ve seen this in print. What an exceptional cast.’
The series is written by The Last King Of Scotland writer Jeremy Brock and directed by Becoming Jane’s Julian Jarrold. The cast also includes Joanna Scanlan as Andrew’s ex-private secretary Amanda Thirsk, Alex Jennings as the late Queen’s private secretary Sir Edward Young, and Eanna Hardwicke as BBC Newsnight editor Stewart Maclean.
Maitlis's Newsnight interview isn't the only adaptation of the story, though. A Netflix film adaptation, titled Scoop, is also currently in the works. Gillian Anderson plays Maitlis while The Man In The High Castle actor Rufus Sewell appears as Andrew. The Netflix adaption is based on former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister’s memoir Scoops: The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews From Prince Andrew To Steven Seagal.
Maitlis had already been an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview called Andrew: The Problem Prince. This new Amazon series is similar to past series A Very English Scandal and A Very British Scandal, which dramatised an alleged affair between model Norman Scott and leader of the Liberal party Jeremy Thorpe as well as a divorce court case between Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll and Ian Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll.
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