Of all the modern scandals to have rocked the English royal family, the ostracization of Prince Andrew is undoubtedly one of the most important. Friend of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his chief madam Ghislaine Maxwell, the man nicknamed the “Queen’s favorite son” publicly self-destructed in 2019 during a surreal interview given to the show Newsnight, from the BBC. In the captivating Scoop (Exclusivity), we follow the three women, one in particular, behind this interview which led to the prince’s withdrawal from public life.
A journalistic suspense, the film succeeds in generating tension even though we know the outcome of the events in advance. So, even though we know full well that the interview will take place, while Sam McAlister struggles to negotiate with the prince’s assistant, we are on the edge of our seats. For what ?
Because Sam, apart from the fact that she really exists, turns out to be an absolutely formidable character in the context of the film – which sticks to the facts, but allows itself, as it should, some dramatic deviations. But in short, Sam (and his interpreter, the excellent Billie Piper), is the driving force of the film.
Responsible for finding the best possible interviews for the show Newsnight, Sam is poorly perceived by her colleagues who look down on her readily popular subjects. However, let’s remember that the BBC is then in turmoil (the film opens with an announcement of mass layoffs), and Sam is one of the few to understand the need for her employer to get out of its echo chamber.
Except that the root cause of the animosity towards Sam, we quickly discover, is not so much a matter of vision of the news, as a matter of social classes: this single mother is in fact from a working-class background, unlike to the rest of the team — in the monarchical society that is England, discrimination based on class remains a very real issue, which the film addresses head on.
This whole backdrop adds thematic and dramatic density to Scoop.
Behind the scenes
The film also offers a fascinating foray behind the scenes of a major news program: inner workings and functioning, prioritization of the news, decision-making protocol, etc.
In a revealing sequence, we simultaneously witness a rehearsal of the interview on the BBC side, as well as the one held at Buckingham Palace. Thanks to a clever use of editing, as we alternate between the draft questions formulated by the host Emily Maitlis and the attempted answers submitted to the prince, it is as if the two of them are already in conversation. Fascinating.
However, the focus remains mainly on Sam McAlister. Normal, since this Netflix production is based on his work Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews. Note that the future miniseries from Amazon Studios A Very Royal Scandal will deal with the same subject, but drawing inspiration from the book by Emily Maitlis.
About the latter, famous interviewer at the BBC, Gillian Anderson is, as usual, exquisitely accurate. Also included, in a less showy but equally crucial score, is Romola Garai, who plays the editorial director of Newsnight Esme Wren.
Throughout, the film multiplies the examples of male obstacles encountered by this female trio: interference, malesplication (mansplaining), paternalism, nervous pooping…
The emperor is naked
Unrecognizable under mind-blowing prosthetic makeup, Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew with seemingly benign manners, but with an ogre’s gaze. In another ingenious staging, the expression “the emperor is naked” is used figuratively And literal. This passage, let us say, memorable, also constitutes one of the many examples of touches of black humor which dot the film.
Regardless, Sewell’s composition is so persuasive that its mere presence is nauseating.
Speaking of convincing elements, the final face-to-face, that is to say the reconstruction of the interview, proves electrifying. The brilliance of this long sequence, however, lies in the fact that the film constantly shows the reactions behind the scenes during this television moment destined to enter the annals of journalism. An excellent surprise.