Infamous Prince Andrew interview lands on Netflix as a film

Although Gillian Anderson looks perfect as an ever-so-calm Emily Maitlis (the resemblance to the real Maitlis, an award-winning journalist who has since left the BBC, is uncanny), and Rufus Sewell allegedly spending up to four hours a day in prosthetics and makeup to bring a sweat-free Prince Andrew to life, it is Billie Piper who steals the show in the new Netflix drama with her portrayal of Sam McAlister, the Newsnight booker who first secured the interview with Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite child, Andrew. The film is based on ‘Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews’, a book written by McAlister herself.

Perhaps the main reason I resonate with Piper’s character is that, as a journalist and TV producer for over 10 years, I know all too well how bookers, fixers, producers, and all those professionals grafting behind the scenes are rarely acknowledged for their real contributions. I can’t even count how many times I’ve inquired about the possibility of having a screen credit after working on a special report for weeks, only to be told, ‘Freelancers can’t be credited due to internal editorial guidelines,’ or simply, ‘Sorry, it was an oversight. We will try to remember to add your credit next time. Good job.’ Unfortunately, the same oversight often continued to occur.

I also strongly relate to McAlister in the way she feels like an outsider within her news gathering team, even after managing to secure a job at the BBC and working as a producer on the BBC Newsnight program, where she stayed for 10 years.

Unlike Sam, I didn’t manage to secure a job at the BBC, though.

When I first applied for a vacancy at the BBC 15 years ago, in 2009, I didn’t think much of it when I was turned down less than a month later. My experience and credits within the broadcasting industry were limited, and I accepted that hundreds of more experienced journalists would have made it to a second round of interviews. Fine.

Years later, after producing coverages of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, I spotted another opening and tried to secure a job at the BBC Broadcasting House once again. Within weeks, a similar email from the BBC recruitment team landed in my inbox:

“On this occasion you haven’t been selected for the role, however we would like to thank you for your investment of time, effort and interest in the role and for your application. 

I’m afraid that we’re unable to share any feedback on your application at this stage, but we hope this will not discourage you from considering other roles and opportunities in the BBC in the future.”

The BBC is the world’s leading public service broadcaster, and I am aware that I am not the only person who has tried to get a job there and been turned down multiple times. It was probably very naïve of me to think that, as a multimedia journalist who speaks three languages, the fact that the British Broadcasting Corporation employs over 21,000 staff would make it a little bit easier to secure one of those vacancies myself. So, after two failed attempts, I waited a few more years before applying to work at the BBC again.

As the media industry is especially tough to break into, regardless of the country you are in, Britain would be no exception.

In 2017, I went back to school and got a Factual Development and Production Diploma from the National Film and Television School (NFTS), all while coordinating commercial shootings in over 20 countries. Following that, I produced special coverages for overseas TV channels, working on features ranging from immigration to travel and business affairs.

Having heard many times that you should never give up after failing twice to achieve something, as the third time is the charm, I decided to give it one more try and applied for a Producer role at the BBC – yet again, without success.

It turns out that if you don’t have the right contacts within the media industry or are a migrant (or both, in my case), it is easier to make Prince Andrew break a sweat – or bump into a member of the Royal family at a Pizza Express in Woking – than to break into the close-knit British media.

In “Scoop,” Sam McAlister eventually gets recognized by former Newsnight editor Esme Wren (played by Romolo Garai), who the day after the interview was recorded, tweeted:

“Full credit to our indefatigable interview producer @SamMcAlister1 for securing this world exclusive”.

The real Sam McAlister ended up quitting the BBC in 2021 and is now a Visiting Senior Fellow in Practice at the London School of Economics, where she teaches negotiations.

Also in 2021, BBC Newsnight editor Esme Wren, who oversaw the program’s infamous interview with Prince Andrew, quit the broadcaster to join Channel 4 news.

According to a title card before the credits roll up in Scoop, Prince Andrew paid £12 million ($16.3 million) to Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) in 2022 to settle a lawsuit she brought against him – despite the Duke of York saying that he has “no recollection of ever meeting” Roberts, who claims that she had sex with the Prince three times, including once in London in 2001 when she was 17 and being trafficked by Epstein.

Life for Prince Andrew, however, remains relatively good. He may have lost his annual £250,000 handout after it was cut by King Charles, but he still lives in a 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor.

As for me, I am still yet to land any role at the BBC UK. However, if the recent announcement made by Director-General of the BBC, Tim Davie, who revealed a further £200m of cuts to the corporation while speaking at the Royal Television Society in central London last month, is anything to go by, I should really not hold my breath.