SCOOP is a new Netflix movie based on real events. The most wonderful cast helps us understand all that comes before a big interview. In this case, the BBC interview where Prince Andrew talks about Jeffrey Epstein. Read our full Scoop movie review here!
SCOOP on Netflix is a movie based on a true story. With a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes, it never loses momentum as we move even closer to the main characters landing the interview of their dream. Here it’s the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew where he is confronted with his Jeffrey Epstein friendship.
The people who land and do the interview are women, which is not unimportant. It’s even mentioned in the movie how this is important for the image of Prince Andrew. Not that it could be saved at this point, but he thought it could be.
Continue reading our Scoop movie review below and watch it on Netflix from April 5, 2024.
All that comes before
I love getting a look behind the scenes, and that’s exactly what this film offers us. An idea of just how much happens before an interview takes place. Particularly with a member of the royal family in the UK.
The story itself may be about the men who did wrong, but this movie is about the women who manage to finally shine a spotlight on them!
One woman is using all her contacts to finally get an interview with Prince Andrew, but she also has to convince “The Palace” [Buckingham Palace] that this is a good idea. Once Jeffrey Epstein’s home is raided by the FBI, and he is arrested and then dies, it becomes apparent that the royal family can no longer stay quiet.
The woman fighting for the interview is Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) while the woman doing the actual interview is Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson). Both are equally important to the story as it plays out.
So is Prince Andrew who is portrayed by Rufus Sewell though he is almost unrecognizable. He does, however, look like Prince Andrew so mission accomplished.
Four amazing women carry the story
While Billie Piper is at the very heart of the story as producer Sam McAlister, who manages to get a foot in with the personal assistant to Prince Andrew, a few other people are also of the utmost importance. Still, I have to – and always want to – highlight what a great job Billie Piper does in Scoop. She is the beating heart of this true story.
And, of course, I have to mention Gillian Anderson next as she portrays the real-life BBC reporter who helmed Newsnight. Emily Maitlis was the woman doing the actual interview, and it is also very accurately mentioned that if the interview was a bust, she would be blamed.
Gillian Anderson manages to perfectly nail the speech pattern and mannerisms of Emily Maitlis. Always in the subtle ways that ensure it doesn’t turn into a parody.
WATCH THE ACTUAL BBC INTERVIEW AFTERWARDS
Watch the full BBC interview on YouTube right here to see just how great the actors are >
The two final women I must mention here are Esme Wren, who was the boss of both Emily Maitlis and Sam McAlister at BBC News, and Prince Andrew’s assistant Amanda Thirsk. Esme Wren is portrayed by Romola Garai, who was just in season 2 of Vigil, and she is a powerhouse despite relatively little screentime.
Amanda Thirsk is played by LGBTQ+ icon Keeley Hawes of Tipping the Velvet (2002). She’s also in the new Orphan Black spin-off series Orphan Black: Echoes and the wonderful (yet heartbreaking) Russell T. Davies created Max Original miniseries It’s a Sin (2021).
Watch Scoop on Netflix now!
Philip Martin is the director of Scoop which is based on a screenplay by Geoff Bussetil (Mortal) and Peter Moffat (Your Honor). Previously, Philip Martin directed episodes of The Crown, which seems almost ironic when he does this next. In between The Crown and Scoop, he also worked on the Night Sky series on Prime Video.
While not listed directly in the IMDb credits, you may notice that the opening credits also mention Sam McAlister’s book.
I mean, she was one of the women who lived it. Hell, she was the one who made it all happen. Along with Emily Maitlis who did the interview.
Scoop is on Netflix from April 5, 2024.
Womentainment Recommendation
If you liked Bombshell, you’ll want to watch Scoop
While Scoop is a very different beast than Bombshell, both focus on how women in television try to finally put the spotlight on structural issues that allow men in power to abuse women.
In Bombshell, the issue was very much with Fox News, while in Scoop it’s about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Eppstein and the women at the BBC get everyone talking about it. In that way, the ending of this new Netflix movie is much more satisfying as there are consequences in the end.
And not for the women. For once. After all, they did nothing wrong. They only gave a platform to a man, who managed to destroy himself. It’s a real treat to watch. Especially because the movie obviously also has plenty of good male characters who help the women. More importantly, we see the women helping one another!
Director: Philip Martin
Writer: Philip Martin
Cast: Billie Piper, Gillian Anderson, Romola Garai, Keeley Hawes, Rufus Sewell
Official plot:
Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization gives an insider account of how the women of Newsnight secured Prince Andrew’s infamous interview.
