Emily Maitlis' real

Release time：2024-05-08 00:17:28 Source：International Identities news portal

It was the scoop of the decade, a history-making interview that brought an abrupt halt to the Duke of York’s royal career.

But just who was the 'mastermind' behind securing the car-crash chat with Prince Andrew on Newsnight in November 2019. The answer has seemed to have led to frostiness between journalist Emily Maitlis and ex-BBC producer Sam McAlister.

Their story is explored in Netflix's Scoop, released today, which dramatises the behind-the-scenes action in the build up to the interview, as well as fallout from the hour of television that essentially put an end to Andrew's time as a working member of the Royal Family.

Ms McAlister, who is portrayed by Billie Piper in the streaming-giant's drama, has previously accused presenter and interviewer Ms Maitlis of failing to properly acknowledge her pivotal role in securing the infamous interview with the late Queen's 'favourite son'.

The ex-BBC journalist, played by Gillian Anderson in Scoop, was criticised for giving an in-depth interview explaining how the scoop came about, but failing to mention McAlister, who convinced the Prince, 64, to take part.

Sam McAlister and Billie Piper attend a New York screening of Netflix film Scoop on April 3

Ms Maitlis, who earned £325,000 a year from the BBC, was accused of being ‘unfair’ on long-serving Ms McAlister, who is understood to have been paid less one tenth of that amount.

The dispute stemmed from an interview Ms Maitlis, 53, and Newsnight’s former editor Esme Wren gave Radio Times in the July following the bombshell broadcast.  

In the piece – headlined ‘How we did it, Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis and Esme Wren on the Prince Andrew interview that shocked the world’ – Ms Wren said: ‘We delivered a quite exceptional piece of journalism.’

But Ms McAlister was not mentioned once, despite her forging the relationship with Prince Andrew’s aide Amanda Thirsk and meeting her at Buckingham Palace to secure the interview.

‘While those who work behind the scenes don’t always get credit, for Emily to go out there and not mention Sam in such a high-profile interview seems pretty unfair and wrong,’ said one former colleague of the two women. 

‘Emily was on a significant salary and then you had Sam grafting behind the scenes on about £30,000 a year. Without Sam there would have been no Prince Andrew interview. It’s as simple as that.’

As for how she felt overlooked, a source said: ‘Sam tried to laugh at it. It seemed deeply baffling that two women would not mention another, far more junior woman in an interview where they were talking about how the interview came about.’

But friends of Ms McAlister told The Daily Mail in 2023 that the snub was a factor in her decision to leave the BBC in 2021 to go freelance and become a champion of behind-the scenes production staff.

The Newsnight show was the scoop of the decade, a history-making interview that brought an abrupt halt to the Duke of York’s royal career. Pictured, Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis

Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in the Netflix drama

Ms McAlister, who is portrayed by Billie Piper (pictured) in the streaming-giant's drama, has previously accused presenter and interviewer Ms Maitlis of failing to properly acknowledge her pivotal role in securing the infamous interview with the late Queen's 'favourite son'

In 2022, she released the book Scoop telling her version of how the interview was secured - which was picked up by Netflix and turned into the drama.

But Ms McAlister's book and film deals led to backlash from her former BBC colleagues, who claimed she was attempting to steal all the glory, The Telegraph reported in 2022.

READ MORE Rufus Sewell reveals his performance as Prince Andrew in Scoop was inspired by The Office's David Brent as he tried to 'find the humour' in THAT car crash interview

BBC sources were said to be 'seething' after the book's publication, accusing Ms McAlister of taking the lion's share of credit for a team effort and reducing key figures in the story, including Ms Maitlis, to peripheral figures in her narrative.

A BBC insider said at the time: 'There is internal disappointment because it is not the done thing to expose how you go about these journalistic practices and also because a lot of people who did a considerable amount of work on this show are being written out of the process in pursuit of one person's career. Former colleagues find that disappointing.'

Ms Maitlis has always refused to comment on the rift. Sources say she was even invited to the book launch in 2022 - but didn’t show up.

One said: ‘Everyone in the book was of course invited but Emily wasn’t there.’ Some sources believe even subtle digs are made throughout the film.

One insider said: ‘Viewers won’t notice it but there are a few conversations that take place that, if you are aware of Emily being accused of trying to take credit from Sam, then you might notice things aren’t all well.’ 

Now Ms Maitlis is preparing a rival drama about the car-crash interview. She is executive producing an upcoming three-part series for Amazon Studios. 

Titled A Very Royal Scandal, it will star Ruth Wilson as Ms Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew.

Ms McAllister previously appeared on This Morning to discuss her experience working on both the interview and the film.

Emily Maitlis and Sam McAllister at the 20th Women in Film and Television Awards in 2021

Ms McAlister is said to have forged the relationship with Prince Andrew’s aide Amanda Thirsk and met with her at Buckingham Palace to secure the interview

She described how tough it was securing the interview, saying: 'I was a complete underdog on booking content because who in their right mind, let's be frank, would want to go on unless you're a minister, or you're selling a book or a movie.

'Why would you go and take that risk, right? So my job was persuading people to go on against their interest basically. So I spent my time trying to get them to do something they probably shouldn't have done.'

READ MORE: Netflix's Scoop: Fans hail the cast's 'genius' likenesses as they say 'perfect' Gillian Anderson 'could transform into anyone' and marvel at Rufus Sewell's Prince Andrew as trailer is released 

Discussing how she felt when securing the interview, she revealed: 'I'd been dealing with a palace for a year. And I think the thing that I love about this movie...is I'm an ordinary woman who ended up in an extraordinary situation. And of course, everyone's seen that interview. But this is the 95 per cent before that.'

She continued: 'So it all started a year prior, and it was only on the Monday so we're now 13 months in the Monday when I met Prince Andrew face to face with Emily and Stuart with with his daughter sitting next to him in Buckingham Palace...It was only then on the one day I thought this could actually happen.

'And on Tuesday morning, they said yes. And I honestly I dropped my phone. I could not believe that they had said yes.'

Describing the biggest curveball of the day, Sam told This Morning it was when Prince Andrew was accompanied into the interview with his daughter Princess Beatrice.

'Can you imagine you've gone to talk to a Prince and you're in Buckingham Palace... and you're talking about difficult subjects and then he brings his daughter?' she said?

'I mean, it was the curveball of curveballs. I'm not easily disconcerted, but I have to admit, even I was impressed by that as a curveball,' she added.

Ms McAlister last month told how she thinks Prince Andrew agreed to do the interview because he was 'surrounded by people telling him he was amazing'. 

Ms McAlister is being portrayed by Billie Piper in the new Netflix film, Scoop, which dramatises the lead up to the interview and the fallout. Pictured: Billie Piper as Sam McAlister in Scoop

In the movie, Prince Andrew is being played by Rufus Sewell. Pictured: Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in Scoop

She said the Duke of York had 'never been knocked back' and 'never had an appraisal' in the lead up to the now infamous piece of television, something that counted against him.

The Duke of York had been confronted by presenter Ms Maitlis about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, with the prince being ridiculed in the media and online for his answers to some of her questions.

Ms McAlister said while Andrew was 'eminently noticeable', the then 59-year-old had a 'real misperception of his abilities'.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ms McAlister said the Prince genuinely felt it had gone well after it finished. She said she felt things might have gone differently if Andrew had more people holding him accountable.

'He cocked it up to the degree that he did for a very simple reason, one that's writ large in lots of powerful people in lots of powerful organisations,' she told the paper.

'At the top, you're surrounded by people telling you that you're amazing, and this is a very extreme example of that. 

'He was 59. He'd never had a normal job. He'd never had an appraisal. He'd never been knocked back.

'My feeling was that through an accident of his birth he had a real misperception of his abilities.'

She added she thought Andrew was 'profoundly sad... he doesn't have the life he used to' following the fallout of the interview - since then he has been stripped of his military titles and peerages, and essentially retired from royal duties.

In the movie Andrew is portrayed by Rufus Sewell, who Ms McAlister says shares the same 'energy' and 'charisma that fills the room' as the Duke of York.

Writing for the Daily Mail last month, Ms McAlister admitted: 'The day after we recorded the interview, Esme, tweeted, "Full credit to our indefatigable interview producer @SamMcAlister1 for securing this world exclusive".

'Giving producers credit is a rarity in our industry, and the Press picked it up. I got my 15 seconds of recognition, then it was just back to work as usual.

'Of course, I asked for a pay rise after the interview, but I didn’t get one... Although a pay rise and promotion were still not forthcoming, everywhere I went, people told me: "You should write a book about what happened!" Eventually, I decided to do just that.'

On talk of an 'enmity' between her and Ms Maitlis, the ex-BBC producer added: 'I’m sorry to disappoint — I wish Emily nothing but happiness and success.'

FEMAIL has contacted representatives of Sam McAlister and Emily Maitlis for comment.

Related articles