Five years ago, Prince Andrew mindlessly shot himself in the foot with a highly publicised interview, followed by a social-media frenzy and irreparable consequences for his already shaky reputation.
It was also one of the most unbelievably hilarious TV moments of our time, as The Queen's favourite son opened up about going to Pizza Express in Woking, his inability to sweat and how ending relationships over the phone was the "chicken's way."
Netflix's new movie Scoop reveals how that viral BBC Newsnight interview came to be.
Starring Billie Piper, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell and Keeley Hawes, the movie focuses more on the journalists that made it happen rather than answering any lingering questions viewers might have about the prince's controversial former friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Scoop starts in New York back in 2010, when a photographer (played by Sex Education star Connor Swindells) snatches a photo of Prince Andrew (Sewell) and Jeffrey Epstein walking together through Central Park.
Nine years later, that photo comes back to haunt the British royal after Epstein's crimes hit the headlines again and their relationship is called into question. Silence seems the wisest answer, but Newsnight producer Sam McAlister (Piper) manages to put her foot in the door before anybody else and suggests the idea of an interview.
The movie, directed by Philip Martin (The Crown), frames this journalistic accomplishment in the midst of the BBC's job cuts announcement and a sense of uncertainty for the profession as a whole. It's about how essential journalistic work is in order to hold powerful people accountable.
As the central character in the story, Billie Piper embodies McAlister's passion and brilliant intuition, which were key to securing the exclusive interview.
The emotional arc in this story comes from her feeling like an outsider in the workplace, with her colleagues deeming her "too Daily Mirror" for the BBC and her booking work considered less than their journalistic work.
By making her the protagonist, Scoop finds a heart among the mostly matter-of-fact narration, and an element of surprise within a story that many viewers will remember pretty clearly. After all, it was only five years ago!
Rufus Sewell's astounding transformation into Prince Andrew is a standout too, but don't expect any new revelations about the prince. The movie is not scratching much under that surface, instead delivering a couple of painful punches about his childish personality.
Sewell's face-off with Gillian Anderson's Emily Maitlis is, as expected, the highlight of the movie, despite the efforts to make the rest of the story as interesting as this anticipated recreation of the interview.
The scene is shot at times like a spaghetti western, framing Maitlis' intense eyes as she is about to pull out her big guns (questions) and relishing in the heavy silences in the room.
"An hour of television can change everything," says Piper's Sam at one point in the film. In this pivotal scene, we can feel the heaviness of that statement. It was a history-making moment, and it feels like it on screen.
Despite lacking the same ambition shown by the BBC journalists involved in this story, Scoop is a good enough recount of what happened and an opportunity to give credit where credit is due. It won't tell you anything new that you probably didn't know, but it's a heartfelt love letter to those journalists still fighting in the trenches of an unfairly precarious profession.
Scoop is now available to watch on Netflix.
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Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
