Meet the cast of Scoop on Netflix
Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell lead the cast as Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew.
Who doesn't remember the 2019 Prince Andrew Newsnight interview?
Journalist Emily Maitlis's meticulous, calm questions; Prince Andrew's disastrous answers.
Well, that hasn't stopped Netflix from dramatising the earth-shattering conversation in a new film titled Scoop, which employs a brilliant cast to tell the true behind-the-scenes story of the interview.
Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew, while Gillian Anderson portrays Maitlis.
Speaking about how the pair humanise Andrew and Emily, Scoop director Philip Martin told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview: "Casting is everything and trying to get the cast right can make or break your film, obviously.
"And I think one of the challenges, one of the reasons why Gillian and Rufus are so good at what they do, is that not only do they get close to Andrew and to Emily, but they also do so in a way that humanises them."
But who else appears? Read on for everything you need to know about the Scoop cast and who they're playing.
Scoop cast: Meet the Netflix actors and their real-life counterparts
The cast list for Scoop is as follows, with the ensemble led by Anderson and Sewell as Maitlis and Prince Andrew respectively. Scroll on to find out more about their roles in the film and where you may have seen the actors before.
- Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis
- Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew
- Billie Piper as Sam McAlister
- Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk
- Connor Swindells as Jae Donnelly
- Romola Garai as Esme Wren
- Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice
- Lia Williams as Fran Unsworth
- Theresa Godly as BBC US News Reporter
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis
Who is Emily Maitlis? A journalist, documentary maker and former BBC newsreader, Maitlis was the lead anchor of Newsnight until the end of 2021. She runs a daily award-winning podcast, The News Agents, with fellow journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall. More recently, Maitlis was named as an executive producer on Prime Video's A Very Royal Scandal.
Where have I seen Gillian Anderson before? Having starred in numerous TV and film projects, Anderson rose to fame from her role in The X Files as Dana Scully. Since then, her standout roles include The Crown as Margaret Thatcher, Sex Education as Jean Milburn and The Fall as DSU Stella Gibson.
Keeley Hawes plays Amanda Thirsk
Who is Amanda Thirsk? Thirsk was the former private secretary to Prince Andrew.
Where have I seen Keeley Hawes before? Hawes is well known to any British drama fans, having had starring roles in BBC's Bodyguard, Crossfire and Stonehouse more recently. She rose to fame in spy drama Spooks then had standout roles in Ashes to Ashes and Line of Duty. She has also starred in It's A Sin and The Midwich Cuckoos, and is set to star in Miss Austen.
Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew
Who is Prince Andrew? Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Where have I seen Rufus Sewell before? Sewell is known for a range of roles over the years including in films like The Holiday and A Knight's Tale. But Sewell is well recognised for his TV roles in dramas such as The Man in the High Castle, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and currently stars in Netflix's The Diplomat.
Billie Piper plays Sam McAlister
Who is Sam McAlister? McAlister is a former TV producer and writer who spent 10 years working on Newsnight, also being in charge of booking guests for the show. She's best known for securing the Prince Andrew interview and since then, has written an autobiographical book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews.
Speaking about the Netflix film to Radio Times magazine, Piper said "telling their story felt important to me".
She explained: "The interview, whatever you feel about it, was such an important part of exposing this story. And [Sam and Amanda] were integral to that."
She continued: "So telling their story felt important to me. And seeing the things that we didn’t know about the interview, like the fact that it was signed off by the Palace, was fascinating to me."
Where have I seen Billie Piper before? The actress and singer is immediately recognisable to any Doctor Who fan as former companion Rose Tyler, but Piper is also known for starring roles in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, I Hate Suzie and Penny Dreadful.
Charity Wakefield plays Princess Beatrice
Who is Princess Beatrice? A member of the British royal family, Princess Beatrice is the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York.
Where have I seen Charity Wakefield before? Aside from roles on stage, Wakefield is perhaps best known for leading the cast of BBC's Sense and Sensibility and HBO's The Great. She has also appeared in Doctor Who, Wolf Hall and Bounty Hunters.
Connor Swindells plays Jae Donnelly
Who is Jae Donnelly? Donnelly is the photographer who captured the photograph of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein walking in New York's Central Park.
Where have I seen Connor Swindells before? Swindells is one of many breakout stars from Netflix's Sex Education and has gone on to have roles in BBC's SAS: Rogue Heroes and Vigil. More recently, he has featured in the Barbie movie.
Romola Garai plays Esme Wren
Who is Esme Wren? Currently the editor at Channel 4 news, Wren was the BBC Newsnight editor at the time of the Prince Andrew interview. She spent three years in the role and left Newsnight in 2021.
Where have I seen Romola Garai before? Fans of BBC's Vigil will most likely recognise Garai for her role in the recently released second season, but the actress and film director has also starred in BBC's Emma, The Crimson Petal and the White, Becoming Elizabeth and The Hour.
Lia Williams plays Fran Unsworth
Who is Fran Unsworth? At the time of the Newsnight interview, Unsworth was the BBC’s director of news and current affairs.
Where have I seen Lia Williams before? Most recently, Williams starred in powerful ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office as CEO Paula Vennells, but Williams is also known for her roles in The Capture, The Crown (as Wallis Simpson), The Missing and His Dark Materials.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
