It debuted on Netflix in early April, starring Gillian Anderson (Emily Maitlis), Rufus Sewell (Prince Andrew), Keeley Hawes (Amanda Thirsk) and Billie Piper (Sam McAlister). Scoop. The movie is Sam McAlister Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the Most Shocking Interviews is based on his memoir, in which the author revives how he was able to arrange that Prince András Newsnight in 2019, giving an interview on his show, speaking about the Epstein scandal, which broke out at the time – and in which he was involved, as he appeared together with the businessman countless times and stayed at his property.
The fact that the prince was willing to stand in front of the cameras is unique if only because members of the royal family rarely give interviews. And if they do, they usually dare to accept it with pre-arranged questions, so it’s a big deal that Prince András said yes to the conversation with Emily Maitlis at all – although the BBC owes most of it to Sam McAlister.
THE Scoopwatching it, the viewer may be surprised in the first few minutes that it has been highlighted, although the production deals with real events, certain details have been embellished in order to enhance the dramatic effect. As it is known, it processes the life of the royal family The crown The series was previously criticized because it was not specifically indicated at the beginning of the series’ episodes that what was seen was not necessarily based on reality, but was also supplemented with fictitious elements. It seems that the Scoop its makers learned The crown due to the fault of its creators.
In the film, in addition to following what is happening at the BBC headquarters, where Sam McAlister is in charge of conducting the interview, the filmmakers also gave us an insight into the everyday life of Prince András, lost in Epstein’s shadow. Apparently, they tried to present the human side of the royal family, although they depicted him as overly emotional, an amused figure. In the royal family, however, it is not customary to show such feelings. For example, Prince Harry previously claimed that when Meghan Markle met Princess Catherine and Prince William for the first time, they thought it was unusual that she greeted them with a hug, which is not outrageous in the Americans, but the family members are more reserved than that. And the really interesting scenes are not necessarily related to the prince or the interview, but to the road leading up to it, full of surprises.
Not enough details
As is known, the name of Prince András has been mentioned several times in connection with Jeffrey Epstein. A common image was created of them, and there were reports that he sometimes stayed at the businessman’s properties. In fact, one of the victims, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, accused him of sexual harassment in 2022, alleging that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who set up the young girls for the former, forced her to have sex with him three times. The parties eventually managed to settle out of court. Although some important moments of the Epstein case were squeezed into the production, they showed how a photographer takes a picture of the prince and Epstein walking together in New York, Ghislaine Maxwell and Virginia Roberts Guiffre are mentioned – and the photo of Maxwell, the royal family and Roberts together – as well as Epstein’s private plane, the Lolita Express – whose passengers included American presidents – however, after watching the film, one still feels a sense of loss.
Many intricate threads connected to the Epstein scandal were left out of the production, which makes the final result seem sloppy and superficial, and the network, in which Prince András is alleged to have played a role, is less transparent. For this reason, those who are not necessarily aware of the details of the case do not get a complete picture. Explaining this is essential in order to understand why the prince’s involvement posed a serious threat to the royal family – it entailed such a risk that he was eventually stripped of his royal titles – and why it was necessary for him to try to clarify himself in an interview. Although it is a fact that there are many dubious cases associated with Epstein, and an hour and a half would not be enough to present them, just as the makers were not thinking of a documentary, but of Newsnight they wanted to depict the circumstances of conducting an interview, but it is sometimes confusing that the events take place at too fast a pace.
If we take what we see in the film as a basis, we could say that McAlister was able to land the interview with the prince in a couple of weeks, which in reality took 13 months. That’s how long it took him to develop a trusting relationship with his assistant, Amanda Thirsk, and with the royal family itself. Considering that the events span such a long period of time, perhaps it would have made more sense to make a series instead of a movie, in which they can delve deeper. At the same time, the production makes it clear that the interview stood or fell on the tricks of Thirsk and McAlister, and it also corresponds to reality that Prince András asked for and received permission II. From Erzsébet for the interview – which she later regretted.
Daring scenes
Along with Prince András, the plushies that he collects in real life and keeps them on his bed also appear in one scene or another. And at some points in the film, his temper also surfaces – former employees of the palace have commented on this, including the male masseuse – for example, when one of the employees does not know exactly where to put the plush kangaroo back. The outburst by Rufus Sewell, who plays the prince, is almost laughable at this point, although some reports suggest that the royals really do hold their toy animals in such high regard. Just as you can’t really take the sequences when Billie Piper, who plays McAlister, lists the nicknames he’s been given on the Internet to the prince – these included the Gangster and András Hantás. However, it is especially inappropriate when Sewell leaves his mouth in the film as he laughs:
I don’t understand why everyone is interested in Jeffrey Epstein, I knew Jimmy Savile better.
Given that II. Elizabeth’s favorite son had something to do with a man who built a whole network of pedophiles, young girls were handed to him on a silver platter, while Jimmy Savile molested hundreds of people and was accused of rape, it is especially tasteless to joke about it. Furthermore, Prince András, facing the social media campaign launched against him after the interview, getting out of the bathtub and then hanging around naked in his suite resulted in daring sequences that were not necessary to emphasize the dramatic effect of the conversation (and also provided a bizarre sight).
The interview aired in November 2019 – which has been the most watched program in the history of the BBC ever since – really had serious consequences. It served as the first cube of a whole row of dominoes, which, when turned over, knocked over everything. Prince András was stripped of his royal titles, Virginia Roberts Guiffre sued him, and as a result of the legal drag, he lost his remaining self-respect. She can no longer perform public duties and is one of the least liked members of the royal family. Although the Scoop does not adequately convey the seriousness of the Epstein case and its impact on the royal family, but the journalistic dedication of Sam McAlister, who broke the story, can serve as a donkey leader for those working in the profession, just as the involvement of Prince András in the Epstein scandal indicates that not all that glitters is gold.
(Cover photo: Emily Maitlis and Prince András in 2019, when they did the Newsnight interview / Photo: Northfoto)
