Movie Review: Scoop (2024)

Genre: Biographical Drama  

Director: Philip Martin  

Starring: Billie Piper, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Keeley Hawes  

Running Time: 103 minutes  

Synopsis: In 2010, a New York paparazzo snaps a photo of Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, the Prince's private secretary Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes) is still attempting to rehabilitate his reputation and connects with BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) to discuss a possible interview. When Epstein is rearrested and then commits suicide in prison, the pressure builds on Andrew to give his side of the story, and he agrees to an interview with Newsnight's host Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson).

What Works Well: The interview that ended Prince Andrew's public life is the punctuation mark at the end of a strategic dance between press and palace. With the televised event now a part of journalistic history, director Philip Martin develops tension by exploring the BBC team's anxieties (how does the national broadcaster challenge a Prince?) as well as their star-struck emotions within the monarchy's renowned halls. The screenplay is based on Sam McAlister's book, and here she is portrayed as a misfit doggedly pursuing an unlikely opportunity by forging a bond with Amanda Thirsk. Andrew's loyal assistant is desperate for him to emerge from the shadow of a sordid association, in a classic case of high risk and high reward.

What Does Not Work As Well: The public comeuppance of a largely irrelevant royal is of only so much interest. Here Epstein is a tertiary presence, and his victims barely feature.

Conclusion: A bursting bubble of self-delusion is an impressive spectacle.



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