Prime Video is releasing its take on the infamous BBC ‘Newsnight’ interview that changed the lives of both of its key players, Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis. The three-episode series, out Sept. 19, sees Michael Sheen take on the role of Prince Andrew and Ruth Wilson play journalist Emily Maitlis in the latest dramatization of the disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019 that ended the Duke of York’s public role in the British royal family. A Very Royal Scandal follows both the royal and the renowned broadcaster in the leadup to the interview, the groundbreaking event itself and the fallout in the aftermath of it that changed both Prince Andrew and Maitlis’ lives.
The trailer shows both Prince Andrew and Maitlis in preparation for the interview, which the Duke of York apparently called off before reconsidering. "Get me and him in a room together, and then I can do my thing," the character of Maitlis says in the trailer.
The Duke of York asserts "I'm going to blow this out of the water." The trailer then shows the actual interview and then its aftermath, during which Maitlis says "I was only ever hoping to ask the right questions." The first episode sees Prince Andrew attempt to declare his innocence as he finds himself at the center of a scandal surrounding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as allegations of sexual assault from Virginia Guiffre, who accused the prince of having sex with her when she was 17 years old. The first episode sees Maitlis doing everything in her power to secure an exclusive interview with Prince Andrew.
In the second episode, Maitlis runs into obstacles while attempting to land the interview, but, after much anticipation, the conversation goes forward. But, according to Prime Video, “the meeting takes various twists and turns that neither Emily nor the Newsnight team could have expected.” Finally, in the series finale, the shockwaves from the infamous moment in television history are felt by Prince Andrew, his family and the institution of the monarchy. Maitlis, too, has much to consider, particularly when it comes to the future of her career and her reputation.
The series was directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Jeremy Brock. It was produced by Blueprint Television for Amazon MGM Studios, and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Television. Karen Thrussell, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Diarmuid McKeown, Jeremy Brock, Jarrold, and Maitlis herself serve as executive producers. Josh Hyams serves as a producer on the series.
The Impact of the Newsnight Interview
Prince Andrew was heavily criticized for defending his friendship with pedophile Epstein, as well as his failure to mention Epstein’s victims during the interview. Soon after the Newsnight interview aired, the Duke of York announced he was stepping back from public duties, and in January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his military titles and patronages amid Guiffre’s civil sexual assault lawsuit that has since been settled. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
A Second Look at the Interview
A Very Royal Scandal is the second time this year that Prince Andrew’s Newsnight interview has made it on screen. In April, Netflix’s film Scoop was released, with Rufus Sewell playing Prince Andrew and Gillian Anderson portraying Maitlis.
Maitlis' Perspective
Maitlis served as an executive producer on A Very Royal Scandal, and the series tells the story in depth from her perspective, as well as the embattled royal. The upcoming Amazon MGM Studios series is based on Emily Maitlis' perspective in securing an interview with Prince Andrew to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein debacle. The TV drama follows the release of the Netflix drama 'Scoop' which proved a runaway success for the streaming giant. A Very Royal Scandal will see Michael Sheen play Prince Andrew, Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis and Joanna Scanlan as Amanda Thirsk. Actress Sofia Oxenham has been lined up to play Princess Beatrice.
Michael Sheen's Approach to the Role
Award-winning actor Michael Sheen shared exclusive insights into his portrayal of Prince Andrew in the forthcoming Amazon Prime series A Very Royal Scandal. Sheen described the challenge of playing Prince Andrew, stating: "Once I start the process of playing the character, I have to put all my personal opinions aside, and my job is to try and make that character as real as possible." Sheen explained that he would lean into various perspectives of the situation and use a form of mental acrobatics to portray Prince Andrew, "I still knew I had to sort of change little things in my head, do a bit of mental acrobatics in my head, so I wasn't changing what I thought, but essentially what was going on for him." Sheen is playing the royal in Prime Video miniseries A Very Royal Scandal – just a few months after Netflix's film Scoop.
A Very Royal Scandal: A Deeper Dive
The series will delve into the Duke of York's career-damaging 2019 Newsnight interview with journalist Emily Maitlis. The drama focuses on the Duke of York's excruciating sitdown interview in 2019, where he was quizzed by Maitlis about his friendship with late billionaire convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. Barely a few months have passed since Rufus Sewell played Prince Andrew in the Netflix film Scoop – but now it's Michael Sheen's turn to star as the royal in another dramatisation of his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview. Prime Video series A Very Royal Scandal – which also stars Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis – will again dig deep into events that saw the prince questioned on prime time TV following accusations of sexual misconduct, which he has always denied. A Very Royal Scandal is a three-part TV series as opposed to Scoop, the Netflix feature that starred Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson in the lead roles. It is the third in the A Very… series that Amazon has previously co-produced with the BBC, although this one will only air on Prime Video. Unlike Scoop, Maitlis is involved with this one as an EP. In the trailer, Wilson’s Maitlis can be seen pursuing the story that would make her a global household name and destroy the Prince’s reputation in a pivotal moment in British history, which saw him buckle under questions around his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and make a sea of humiliating utterances.
Behind the Scenes
Along with Sheen and Wilson, the series will star Joanna Scanlan (After Love, Notes on a Scandal) as Amanda Thirsk, Alex Jennings (Your Christmas or Mine?) as Sir Edward Young, Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) as Stewart Maclean and Claire Rushbrook (Secrets & Lies) as Sarah Ferguson. Newly revealed additional cast members include Nicholas Burns (The Serpent Queen) as Mark Gwynne, Lydia Leonard (Ten Percent) as Esme Wren, Alexander Owen (Dreaming Whilst Black) as Jake Morris, Clare Calbraith (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) as Sam Mcalister, Sam Troughton (Chernobyl) as Donal Mccabe, Honor Swinton Byrne (The Souvenir) as Princess Beatrice and Sofia Oxenham (Extraordinary) as Princess Eugenie.
