Prince Andrew appears telling a sick joke about Jimmy Savile in new Netflix film Scoop, which tells the backstory of his infamous 2019 interview with Newsnight.
The film, starring Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis and Rupert Sewell as the embattled prince, recreates the lead-up to Andrew’s exclusive BBC chat about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
In the drama, written by Peter Moffat, the Duke of York tells the Newsnight team: “I don’t quite understand why everyone is so obsessed with my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. “I knew Jimmy Savile much better.
Then he laughs at his joke.
Although Savile was friendly with Andrew’s brother, the then Prince Charles, and boasted about it, it is not clear whether he knew Prince Andrew or whether the prince made such a joke.
Prince Andrew (played by Rufus Sewell) appears telling a sick joke about Jimmy Savile in the new Netflix film Scoop, which tells the backstory of his infamous 2019 interview with Newsnight.
Gillian Anderson has been hailed as “amazing” in her next role as Emily Maitlis after transforming into the Newsnight presenter.
Savile died in 2011, and only after his death was he unmasked as a prolific pedophile.
Scoop streams on Netflix starting next Friday. Billie Piper plays BBC producer Sam McAlister, who arranged the interview, and Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk, the prince’s press officer.
In another scene in the film, Prince Andrew seems bewildered when Maitlis arrives at the palace dressed in trousers, rather than a dress or skirt, before the interview.
Other scenes show him yelling at an employee for incorrectly placing teddy bears and a toy kangaroo on his bed.
Most strikingly, one striking scene shows the prince emerging from the bathroom completely naked, with Sewell wearing prosthetics.
Four days after the interview aired in 2019, the prince announced that he had retired from royal duties and was subsequently stripped of his military duties and banned from using his HRH title.
Scoop had its premiere at The Curzon Club in Mayfair on Wednesday night, with stars of the drama in attendance.
Gillian Anderson joined her co-stars Billie Piper, Rufus Sewell, Romola Garai and Keeley Hawes on the night as they celebrated the launch of the show.
The Duke of York was photographed leaving Windsor Castle this morning after spending an hour with King Charles III.
The Prince was photographed this morning, just days before the film Scoop, which chronicles his disastrous interview on Newsnight, is released on Netflix.
Gillian Anderson, 55, wowed in a strapless green dress while attending the world premiere of Scoop at The Curzon in Mayfair, London, on Wednesday night.
The actress, who plays the role of Emily Maitlis in the upcoming Netflix drama, was the woman of the hour on the star-studded red carpet.
Gillian oozed glamor in a classic fitted midi dress and elevated her figure with sleek silver heels.
The Sex Education star joined her co-stars Billie Piper, Romola Garai and Keeley Hawes to celebrate the launch of the show.
Scoop, out April 5, recreates Newsnight’s car crash interview with Prince Andrew
Anderson has been hailed as “amazing” in her upcoming role as Emily Maitlis after transforming into the Newsnight presenter in Prince Andrew’s new film.
One person branded Gillian the “female Michael Sheen” after seeing her in action as Maitlis, stating that she “could literally transform into anyone.”
Based on the book Scoops by Sam McAlister, the film (according to the trailer) captures the tension behind hiring the royals for the interview, as well as the tension between the cast during the interview.
The film will hit Netflix screens in the spring and explores a behind-the-scenes look at how the interview was secured and how the events surrounding it unfolded, framed as a tribute to the work of the four women responsible.
It is based on Scoops by Sam McAlister, who is also known as ‘Booker extraordinaire’ on Newsnight, having successfully negotiated and secured the interview in which the Duke was questioned about his friendship with deceased sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
Maitlis addressed Virginia Giuffre’s claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under Epstein’s orders.
The prince strongly denied the claims throughout the interview.