Emily Maitlis On “Unreal” Dueling Prince Andrew Dramas & If She Will Watch ‘Scoop’ On Netflix: “I Will Get Around To It At Some Stage”
05.04.2024 - 12:59
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix‘s dramatization of the BBC’s bombshell Prince Andrew interview is proving to be one of the streamer’s most discussed debuts in some time, but one person has largely kept her silence.
Emily Maitlis was sat opposite the Duke of York for that fateful exchange in 2019, winning plaudits and prizes for her piercing, methodical questioning of the British royal.
Maitlis has not said much about Scoop, partly because she has not been involved in the Netflix film, but also because her time has been spent authoring her own version of the story for Amazon.
Now, in an interview with Deadline, Maitlis has made some of her first comments about Netflix’s adaptation of a book by her former Newsnight running mate Sam McAlister.
“I’ve left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views],” Maitlis said. “It says it’s based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series].”
The phrase “fictional account” has the potential to raise eyebrows amid reports that Maitlis and McAlister have differing recollections about how the Prince Andrew interview was secured.
Maitlis later clarified through a spokesperson that she was describing Scoop as a “dramatization.” The precise disclaimer used by Netflix is: “This film is based on real events – however certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.”
Scoop puts McAlister at the heart of the story, with Billie Piper bringing to life her reputation as a highly-regarded industry guest booker with a talent for persuasion.
Amazon’s A Very Royal Scandal will offer an alternative look behind the scenes, with the role of