Netflix has announced an all-star cast for its upcoming dramatisation of Prince Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview.
The bombshell programme - broadcast in November 2019 - saw Emily Maitlis sit down for a no-holds-barred chat with Andrew about his friendship with the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who had died in jail just several months earlier.
The Prince's seeming lack of contrition, coupled with his far-fetched explanations, was met with a huge public backlash and led to him being stood down as a senior member of the Royal Family.
Netflix has now confirmed that production has begun on Scoop, a feature film based on former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister's memoir describing how she secured an exclusive dubbed "the interview of the decade".
Gillian Anderson will play the part of Maitlis, with Rufus Sewell portraying Andrew and Billie Piper playing McAlister. Keeley Hawes has been cast as Amanda Thirsk, the former private secretary to Andrew.
Director Philip Martin said: "I'm thrilled to be directing this film for Netflix and - together with an extraordinary cast - to be bringing Sam McAlister's revelatory insider's account to the screen.
"Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breath-taking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew - to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections.
"It's a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how - whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms - we judge what's true."
A release date for Scoop has yet to be confirmed.
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