When Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew for BBC Two’s late-night news program in 2019, it provided one of the most jaw-dropping moments in TV history.
The 50-minute conversation saw the seasoned journalist questioning the Duke of York about his controversial friendship with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and saw his reputation left in tatters.
Hot on the heels of the one-off Netflix film Scoop comes the much-anticipated three-part drama A Very Royal Scandal which offers a different take on the interview.
Scoop, which starred Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell in the lead roles, was based on the 2022 memoir “Scoops” by former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) and looked at how the BBC Two current affairs program secured the interview.
A Very Royal Scandal takes a deeper dive into the events leading up to the interview, the recording at Buckingham Palace and its aftermath, with Good Omens star Michael Sheen and Luther’s Ruth Wilson stepping into the roles of Andrew and Maitlis, who is an executive producer on the show.
A Very Royal Scandal release date
All three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal will be available on Prime Video from Thursday, September 19. You must be an Amazon subscriber to watch the show.
Is there a trailer for A Very Royal Scandal?
Yes there is. Watch it here…
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A Very Royal Scandal plot
The makers say: “One night. One hour. One interview that sent shockwaves around the globe. Based on the real-life 2019 interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew over the scandalous accusations he faced regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. A Very Royal Scandal follows the action of Maitlis and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview, the ground-breaking event itself and the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever.”
The series lets us see into the home life of Newsnight presenter, Emily Maitlis, and also how she is at work. When she gets wind of the story about the claims made against the prince, she does everything within her power to secure an interview with him…
Eventually, Prince Andrew agrees to the interview, but various obstacles stand in the way of the Newsnight interview going ahead. But when it does it takes some twists and turns that neither Emily nor the Newsnight team could have expected…
As it sends shockwaves around the globe, the Duke is left to navigate the fallout as it causes friction with his mother, the Queen, and the rest of his family. And although Emily is praised for the interview there are consequences for her, too.
Who is Emily Maitlis in A Very Royal Scandal?
Born in 1970, Emily Maitlis is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster.
She is a former BBC newsreader and was the lead anchor for BBC Two’s late-night news and current affairs programme Newsnight from 2018 to 2021.
She previously presented BBC London News and was a business correspondent for Sky News and even hosted the National Lottery game show Come and Have a Go.
Since leaving the BBC in 2022, she has presented the award-winning daily podcast, The News Agents, which takes a deep dive into the day’s news.
In May 2024, Emily fronted coverage of the General Election on C4.
In 2019, she wrote the Sunday Times bestseller, Airhead: An Exploration of the Imperfect Art of Making News, in which she recounts some of the news stories she has covered, including her infamous interview with Prince Andrew.
Who is Prince Andrew in A Very Royal Scandal?
Prince Andrew, Duke of York is the third child and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
When he was born in 1960, he was second in line to the throne, after his brother Charles (King Charles III), but he’s now eighth in line.
Andrew served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and the captain of a warship, and fought in the Falklands War of 1982.
In 1986, he married Sarah Ferguson, and the couple became the Duke and Duchess of York. They have two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
A Very Royal Scandal cast
Ruth Wilson plays Emily Maitlis
Born in 1980, Ruth Wilson MBE is a two-time Olivier award-winner, Golden Globe winner, and Tony and BAFTA nominated actress.
She is best known for starring as the villainous Mrs Coulter in His Dark Materials and twisted killer Alice Morgan in Luther, which were both on BBC One.
Her other TV roles include Alison Bailey in the US drama The Affair and the eponymous protagonist of BBC One’s 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre.
In 2018, she played her grandmother Alison in the BBC One drama Mrs Wilson.
Most recently, she appeared as Lorna Brady in BBC One’s psychological thriller The Woman in the Wall.
Michael Sheen plays Prince Andrew
Born in 1969, Michael Sheen is a multi-award-winning Welsh actor. Michael plays a real person in A Very Royal Scandal and he has played various famous people in the past, including Carry On star Kenneth Williams in BBC One biopic Fantabulosa, former PM Tony Blair in the 2006 film The Queen and C4 drama The Deal, legendary broadcaster David Frost in the 2008 film Frost/Nixon and former Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant in the ITV1 drama Quiz.
He’s also appeared in other TV dramas including Good Omens, Masters of Sex and The Way, as well as films such as Wilde and Bright Young Things.
During the pandemic, he appeared opposite David Tennant in Staged on BBC One. The actors played themselves bickering on video calls. There have been three series.
Other cast in A Very Royal Scandal
The cast list also includes Joanna Scanlan (The Larkins) as the Duke of York’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk and Claire Rushbook (Magpie Murders) as his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Clare Calbraith (Grace) and Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) star as Emily’s Newsnight colleagues Sam McAlister and Stewart Mclean.
Q&A with A Very Royal Scandal stars Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson
What were your initial reactions when you were approached to portray Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew?
RUTH: “I had seen the interview when it went out live, and I was utterly gobsmacked. I thought it was one of the best pieces of drama I had ever seen on TV. So, my first thought was, ‘How can we better that?’ But on reading the script [written by Jeremy Brock], I thought this story was fascinating because it goes behind the scenes of these two public figures. I thought it was funny and moving.”
MICHAEL: “I will only play a character if it excites me, if it interests me, and if it challenges me. I was aware of the story and I had seen the interview, but what is so compelling about this drama is that it lifts the veil on what’s going on behind-the-scenes.”
How did you prepare for your roles?
MICHAEL: “I’ve tried to stay as true to the version of Prince Andrew that I have been able to research and see. Unless you can meet the person, it’s hard to know what they’re really like, so my performance is a mixture of the version of the real person that’s out there and what’s in the script.”
RUTH: “I haven’t played a public figure before, so this was a new challenge for me. There is a level of imitation involved, so I had to study Emily’s voice, mannerisms, posture and physicality. The public persona of Emily is this serious journalistic, smart brain, but behind the scenes, she’s warm, charming, fun and quite chaotic. I often play quite reflective characters, but this is a very different energy to play, and I really enjoyed it.”
So, Ruth, how would you describe the Emily we meet at the start of the series?
RUTH: “We find her at the top of her game as a BBC journalist. She’s formidable. Her life revolves around her work. She’s all-consumed by news and information. In the first episode, you see Emily and the Newsnight team pursue the story, how they secure the interview and how it almost never happened.”
And, Michael, in your interpretation, why does Prince Andrew agree to the interview?
MICHAEL: “In the story that we’re telling, Andrew wants to put an end to the difficulties that he finds himself in. He sees this interview as a way to draw a line under things.”
The real interview, which took place at Buckingham Palace, sent shockwaves around the globe when it aired on 16 November 2019. How did you find recreating that conversation?
RUTH: “I was worried initially that it might be impossible to recreate. How could we possibly make it as dramatic and full of tension as the real thing? So, I was a bit nervous about filming those scenes, but I really came to love it. The two of us had a great time doing that, so, the thing that I most feared doing, going into the job, was the thing I most enjoyed.”
MICHAEL: “The interview itself was the thing that we were most anticipating. It is the heart of the piece and having spent so much time focused on that in terms of the research, when you come to actually do it, there’s a lot of pressure.”
What has it been like working alongside each other on this project?
RUTH: “Michael is extraordinary. I really was in awe working opposite him. He was a real joy to work with.”
MICHAEL: “I was excited when I knew that Ruth was playing Emily. She is a brilliant actress. If you think somebody’s really good, you’re both excited and intimidated to meet them. When you find that you get along, enjoy chatting and just having a nice time together, then that’s a bonus.”
Could you tell us about some of the locations that were used for filming?
RUTH: “We had one day filming at the Newsnight studios and offices. They were some of my favorite scenes to film. I’ve watched the news all my life so suddenly I was getting to be a newsreader. I loved it!”
MICHAEL: “One of the challenges with making a story that involves the Royal Family is that they’re not exactly going to welcome you into their homes, so you have to find other places to represent the royal residences. I spent most of my time in various stately homes and grand houses. It is quite odd to be filming in the corridor of one place, and then the room you walk into on screen is in an entirely different house in another part of the country!”