Scoop (2024)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister as she attempts to secure a television interview with Prince Andrew following the discovery of photos linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. While Sam negotiates with Andrew's private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, the press team remains wary of the potential fallout. After Epstein is arrested and subsequently found dead in jail, rumors about Andrew's friendship with him intensify. Sam eventually secures a meeting at Buckingham Palace with Amanda, Andrew, and his daughter Beatrice. Despite internal pushback from PR representative Jason Stein, the interview is booked. The Newsnight team prepares a combative approach, but host Emily Maitlis ultimately chooses a less confrontational style. The 2019 interview focuses on Andrew's relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein, as well as allegations of sexual assault. The broadcast is a disaster for Andrew, characterized by a lack of remorse and erratic statements, leading to a massive PR crisis and his withdrawal from royal duties. The Newsnight team receives acclaim, and Sam is praised for her work. The film concludes with an epilogue noting the interview's record-breaking viewership and Andrew's subsequent settlement of a civil lawsuit.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Philip Martin
- Writers
- Peter Moffat · writer; Geoff Bussetil · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gillian Anderson · Emily Maitlis; Keeley Hawes · Amanda Thirsk; Billie Piper · Sam McAlister; Rufus Sewell · Prince Andrew
- Genres
- biographical drama
- Themes
- media ethics; royal scandal; negotiation; public accountability
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; biographical
- Setting
- London and Manhattan, 2010-2019
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; royal family; journalism; behind-the-scenes
- Source material / true-story basis
- Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews by Sam McAlister
- Content notes
- sexual assault; sex trafficking
- Awards and nominations
- Broadcast Awards · Best Single Drama · 2025 · Nominated; British Academy Television Awards · Leading Actress · 2025 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film is based on a book by former Newsnight editor Sam McAlister.; The interview depicted was described as 'a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion.'; Sam McAlister left the BBC in 2021 to teach negotiation at the London School of Economics.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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