Gillian Anderson to play Emily Maitlis in Prince Andrew Newsnight interview drama
"Very excited to get started!" the Sex Education star tweeted.
Gillian Anderson has been cast as former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis in an upcoming drama about her interview with Prince Andrew.
Netflix announced the cast for Scoop, its dramatisation of the disastrous 2019 interview, on Tuesday (7 February)
Joining the Sex Education star is Rufus Sewell (The Holiday) as Prince Andrew. The Bodyguard‘s Keeley Hawes will also appear as Prince Andrew’s private secretary, Amanda Thirsk.
Doctor Who star Billie Piper will play Sam McAlister, who is reported to have arranged the interview. She also wrote Scoops: The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews from Prince Andrew to Steven Seagal which forms the basis for the film.
As reported by Deadline the show’s synopsis reads: “The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen’s ‘Favourite son’.
“From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal – to the jaw-dropping interview itself.”
“An extraordinary cast”
Sharing the news on her own Twitter account, Anderson wrote: “Very excited to get started!”
McAlister responded to the announcement as well. She typed: “Thrilled that my book #Scoops is becoming a Netflix film, with an extraordinary cast. Being played by @billiepiper is beyond my wildest dreams.”
In the 2019 Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew was asked about his connections with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He also addressed accusations of sexual assault from Virginia Guiffre. These claims have since been settled out of court.
After the interview aired Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties. He was stripped of the use of the ‘His Royal Highness’ title and honorary military roles by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The production schedule and release date for Scoop are both unknown at this time.