Prince Andrew set for fresh headache as Netflix storm looms - analysis by Svar Nanan-Sen

Prince Andrew's career-ending interview, which took place over four years ago, will be seen by a new global audience from today.

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Svar Nanan-Sen

By Svar Nanan-Sen


Published: 05/04/2024

- 15:11

Updated: 05/04/2024

- 15:41

Netflix's new film on the Duke of York's 2019 Newsnight interview is titled 'Scoop'

Prince Andrew's career-ending interview, which took place over four years ago, will be seen by a new global audience from today.

Netflix's highly anticipated film exploring the interview and the build-up to the Duke of York's 60-minute appearance on the BBC's Newsnight was released at 8am on Friday, April 5.


Scoop portrays Prince Andrew and his aide Amanda Thirsk as completely unaware of the seriousness and the gravity of the TV interview.

Thirsk, played by actress Keely Hawes, is shown to believe that the Duke of York's "charm" will come across to the nation if he discusses his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein openly with Emily Maitlis.

Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice

Scoop portrays Prince Andrew and his aide Amanda Thirsk as completely unaware of the seriousness and the gravity of the TV interview.

Netflix

The aide ignores warnings from colleagues regarding orchestrating a TV interview for the prince and is depicted as happy in the immediate aftermath of the interview, believing that it went well.

The Duke of York is shown as feeling the interview was a success with Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, telling journalist Emily Maitlis that he felt the interview went well.

Scoop is roughly split into two halves across its running time of just under 100 minutes.

Prince Andrew

The Duke of York is shown as feeling the interview was a success.

Netflix

The first part explores the planning and negotiations that went into securing the landmark interview, while the second half examines the interview itself, including reenacting multiple toe-curling statements from Prince Andrew seen in the original 2019 Newsnight programme.

Moments from the interview that went viral four and a half years ago, including the Duke of York naming an appearance at a Pizza Express in Woking as an alibi and making the extraordinary claim that he was unable to sweat, were shown in the Netflix film.

There will be many viewers who did not see the original Newsnight interview in November 2019 and are discovering it for the first time in the form of Netflix's adaption.

Prince Andrew

The Duke of York was pictured beaming while horse-riding in Windsor today.

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The global streaming giant's film has the ability to put a spotlight on Prince Andrew on a wider international scale and to reach a younger audience than the original interview.

Just hours after Scoop was released, the Duke of York was pictured beaming while horse-riding in Windsor and looking very relaxed.

However, Prince Andrew could face a new wave of scrutiny and backlash as Scoop is watched by potentially millions of viewers in the coming days and weeks

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