Find Out How The Series A Very Royal Scandal Brought To Life The Infamous Newsnight Interview
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Carl Roberts 
All three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal will premiere exclusively on Prime Video On September 19th. Get the lowdown here.
A Very Royal Scandal will premiere on 19 September exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The captivating retelling, featuring Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Prodigal Son Masters of Sex) as Prince Andrew and Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair, Jane Eyre) as Emily Maitlis, demonstrates the power of journalism through a pivotal moment in British history.
THE PREMISE
One night. One hour. One interview that sent shockwaves around the globe. Based on the real-life 2019 interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew over the scandalous accusations he faced regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. A Very Royal Scandal follows the actions of Maitlis and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview. The ground-breaking event itself. And the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever.
ALSO STARRING
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.
BEHIND THE SCENES
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. Julian Jarrold and Emily Maitlis herself serve as executive producers. Josh Hyams serves as a producer on the series.
HOW A VERY ROYAL SCANDAL BRINGS THE INTERVIEW TO LIFE
On November 14, 2019, BBC Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis conducted a historic interview with Prince Andrew in Buckingham Palace. This conversation– which has since become one of the most significant interviews in recent memory– involved Maitlis posing a series of questions to the Duke of York regarding his friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein and allegations from Virginia Roberts (now Virginia Giuffre) that stated she was coerced into a sexual relationship with the Prince when she was 17. The global impact of this interview, which aired two days later, was profound, forever altering the lives of both Prince Andrew and Maitlis.
A Very Royal Scandal, the three-part series premiering on September 19, follows Emily Maitlis’ (played by Ruth Wilson) journey leading up to her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew (played by Michael Sheen) and the aftermath. Emily herself serves as an executive producer on the series and was able to give her first-hand perspective on the pivotal interview and highlight the power of journalism as a whole.
EMILY MAITLIS
Maitlis, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, shares that her interview with Prince Andrew was the chance of a lifetime to try to understand what happened all those years ago.
“There is always a nervousness that you haven’t told the story right, and I think that will carry on haunting us,” Maitlis said. “These things, dramas, are always going to be imperfect, you know, we don’t have all the facts at our disposal. Still, I hope it invites people to understand a little bit more about how journalists work and why we felt it was important to try and bring that to a wider audience.”
RUTH WILSON AND MICHAEL SHEEN
Golden Globe-winning actress Ruth Wilson admits she was initially intimidated by filming the infamous interview.
“I was a bit nervous about filming those scenes because it felt like it had already been done so well by the real people!” Wilson said. “We had all the other characters around, contributing to the atmosphere… It felt like a piece of theatre.”
For Golden Globe nominee Michael Sheen, the pivotal interview between his character and Wilson’s Emily Maitlis was the most challenging aspect of the production to execute as an actor.
“The interview itself was the thing that we were most anticipating… there’s a lot of pressure,” Sheen said. “There are a lot of mentions of the Falklands War from Andrew throughout the series, and what he did there, and you can see it’s something he uses to justify a lot of his behaviour. The trauma he faced during the Falklands War had become really important, to me, in terms of my interpretation of his character, and I thought it was important that you get early on a sense of how important this really is to him.”
COSTUMES
Costumes also played a big role in portraying the infamous interview and the key players involved. Costume Designer Natalie Ward said the task of creating Emily Maitlis’ signature look was a massive and enjoyable collaborative effort from the start.
“Emily Maitlis is in the public eye in a very different way to Prince Andrew,” Ward said. “We also had contact with her, which meant that we could talk to her about how she dresses. We went to her house, and we spoke to her for about three hours one day; she gave us so much of her time to talk about what she likes and where she buys some of her clothes from.”
Ward and her team had a more difficult time getting just the right look for Prince Andrew.
“There aren’t many pictures of Andrew at home unless they’re very much presented to a camera. So, for him and the public, we often see him in suits, and there are a few pictures of him in more casual clothing in Windsor, as well as a few family photos. We had to use our own interpretation to determine what we think he would wear at home in private with his family or on his own.”
WORKING CLOSELY
Emily Maitlis worked closely with showrunner and writer Jeremy Brock, who wanted to
incorporate the perspectives of those who played critical roles in the execution of the interview, including Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk, Newsnight producer Stewart Maclean, and the Queen’s press secretary Donal McCabe.
“So, one is looking at this from the closeup view of the two players (Emily and Andrew), toe-to-toe, within the room, very much like boxers, and then also, we’re watching it from the point of view of their coaches and the witnesses in the room,” Brock said.” “And once you’ve got those multiple perspectives and points of view, as a dramatist, you can harness all that nervous energy and bring a different level of tension and drama to what would have been seen when it went out on air.”
Although audiences already know the outcome of their interview, Brock hopes that audiences will be entertained and moved by the series.
“I’d like them to wonder about the nature of establishment and power, and how the establishment reasserts the status quo again and again and again, even in the face of something as piercingly revealing as the Newsnight interview.”
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
EPISODE 1:
Prince Andrew attempts to declare his innocence as he finds himself at the centre of an international scandal that not only threatens his own position. But the British monarchy itself. The revered Newsnight presenter, Emily Maitlis, acts upon the news. And does everything within her power to secure an interview with Prince Andrew to uncover the story.
EPISODE 2
Various obstacles stand in the way of the Newsnight interview going ahead. After much anticipation, Emily Maitlis’ infamous interview with Prince Andrew commences. But the meeting takes various twists and turns that neither Emily nor the Newsnight team could have expected.
EPISODE 3:
The interview sends shockwaves around the entire world. Prince Andrew is left to navigate the fallout for himself, his family, and the Royal firm. Meanwhile, Emily considers her reputation and the future of her career as the pandemic hits and a huge decision looms.
All three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal premiere on 19 September exclusively on Prime Video.
Source: Prime Video
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
