Sam McAlister: Real-life Newsnight producer reveals initial reaction to Prince Andrew interview

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The producer who secured the now notorious Newsnight interview with the Duke of York has stated it was “hard to keep a poker face” whereas he was talking.

New Netflix movie Scoop tells the story of how Sam McAlister organized the controversial interview with journalist Emily Maitlis, through which Prince Andrew mentioned his friendship with the convicted intercourse offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

The interview, which aired in November 2019, featured the astonishing second Andrew was compelled to deny he’d had intercourse with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.

McAlister advised ITV’s Good Morning Britain that she realised the manufacturing staff had “won the lottery” with the weird solutions the duke was giving.

“I was sitting about 15 feet behind him. I had two parts of my brain. I’m an ex-criminal defence barrister, so my lawyer brain was going ‘OMG the prosecution has won the lottery here,’” she stated.

Newsnight producer Sam McAlister admits she feels sorry for Princess Beatrice after Prince Andrew interview. (Good Morning Britain/ITV)

“If those statements were false, they were very easy to disprove… so, really, it was quite hard to keep a poker face for 50 minutes of that, with those kinds of answers.”

As the interview progressed, McAlister was “basically looking at the floor a lot, trying not to make eye contact. It really was an extraordinary experience to hear this avalanche of answers.”

In Scoop, McAlister is performed by Billie Piper, whereas Andrew is portrayed by Rufus Sewell and Emily Maitlis by Gillian Anderson.

The story can even be retold within the Amazon collection A Very Royal Scandal,which can characteristic Ruth Wilson as Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Andrew.

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Prince Andrew (left) is portrayed by Rufus Sewell (proper) in Scoop (Scoop/Netflix/Newsnight/ BBC)

Maitlis, who now hosts podcast The News Agents with former BBC journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall after leaving Newsnight In 2022, is an government producer on the manufacturing.

Speaking on the opposite model, McAlister stated: “It’s fantastic. Obviously, this movie is told from my perspective, inevitably, because it’s from my book, and Emily’s will be from her perspective.”

“It’s great there’s so much interest and I’m so sorry to disappoint – I know everyone loves a scrap between women – but no, (there is) absolutely none whatsoever. I wish her nothing but happiness and success and I’m sure she feels the same about me. I’ve never felt jealousy or rivalry in my entire life.”

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