A dramatization is in the works about the disastrous interview Prince Andrew gave on British TV in November 2019. The Duke of York agreed to take part in the Newsnight show to dispel allegations of sexual impropriety and to explain his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Unfortunately, the royal’s car crash performance ended up doing him more harm than good.
Related: Fergie’s latest comments about Prince Andrew raise eyebrows
One of the people who helped to secure the interview for the BBC was former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister. She has written a book about it, published this week, entitled Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.
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Screenwriter Peter Moffat has now penned a script, Scoop, based on the Prince Andrew section of that book. Moffat and Hilary Salmon, of production company The Lighthouse Film & Television, confirmed to Deadline that a dramatization was in the pipeline.
Deadline says Hugh Grant, 61, heads a wishlist of actors the producers want to play Prince Andrew, 62.
Salmon wouldn’t comment when asked about Grant but said casting agents have been approached and stressed “no one is attached” as yet.
The Independent reached out to Hugh Grant for comment, but he said “I’ve heard not.”
Related: Is Prince Andrew planning on disappearing from public life … or not?
Moffat said the drama is, “about how the BBC’s Newsnight team got the scoop, then the actual filming of it,” adding: “The other thing is, ‘Why did he agree to do it?’”
“How was it that he decided it was a good idea to do a great big long interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC?.”
In the Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew strongly denied claims he’d had sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was just 17 and visiting London.
The interview was conducted by Emily Maitlis. Moffat says “All the opportunities that Emily gave him to say the right things to justify his friendship with Epstein, to say how sorry he was,” were wasted.
He says he believes the Duke has a sense of entitlement from being cosseted all his life: “Everybody laughs at his jokes all of the time … I don’t think anybody ever interrupts him when he’s talking, and I think both of those things gives you a level of entitlement; he always feels in control of the time and space around him.”
Giuffre was brought to the UK in the early 00s by Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein killed himself in prison two months before the Newsnight interview took place. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in jail last month on sex trafficking charges related to the time she spent with Epstein.
Giuffre launched a civil action against Prince Andrew, which he settled out of court earlier this year for a rumored seven-figure sum.
In the fall-out from the TV interview, and Giuffre launching her civil action, Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal duties and patronages. He has stepped back from public life and played very little role in his mother, Queen Elizabeth’s, recent Platinum Jubilee.
still_onthemark
Damn, I guessed Kevin Spacey!
davegun2
Yes, yes and yes. That would be so ratched
Jim
If it’s Hugh I’d see it.
Diplomat
Somehow I don’t think Hugh would do it. Lots to consider there.
Faye Dunaway talks about how playing Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest negatively effected her reputation in Hollywood. And Joan was dead at the time the movie was made. Andrew is still alive and kicking.
Hugh, not just bashing one person but an entire Monarchy, could potentially take a similar if not much more intense hit.
Yooper
The headline is rubbish, Hugh Grant hasn’t been “tapped” to play shite. “…Hugh Grant, 61, heads a wishlist of actors the producers want to play Prince Andrew…” Just because a producer has a wishlist doesn’t mean fuq all.
humble charlie
armie hammer? with chris pratt as his penis.
sweetnovember
Damn. I used to think he is good looking when he was young . I guess all that partying took it’s tools