Emily Maitlis breaks silence on Gillian Anderson's portrayal of her in Netflix drama Scoop
It's the controversial new Netflix blockbuster that has EVERYONE talking.
Based on the car-crash conversation that Prince Andrew had with BBC's Newsnight amid his child sex abuse allegations, the feature-length film Scoop has naturally set viewers' tongues wagging all over again after digging up the heinous 2019 scandal.
And today, the broadcaster's illustrious interviewer herself Emily Maitlis has had her say on Scoop, and opened up on actor Gillian Anderson's portrayal of her.
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For those who can't quite recall the ins and outs of the Duke of York's calamitous chat with the Newsnight front-woman, it followed months of speculation over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died two months prior.
Former financier Epstein was found guilty of having curated an elite circle of associates who procured, abused and trafficked women and children.
Amongst those to have been associated with the late paedophile - who died in his jail cell a month after being convicted - was his close friend Prince Andrew.
The father-of-two was accused by Virginia Giuffre of having sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions in Epstein's company when she was a minor.
Amid her shocking allegations, the BBC sought to interview the Prince in order to hear his long-awaited side of the story.
And eventually - after much convincing from her team - he sat down with journalist Emily, 53, for a catch-up that would later be described as 'a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion'.
Netflix's latest bombshell production was therefore adapted from the written work of ex-Newsnight producer Sam McAllister, who is played by Doctor Who legend Billie Piper.
It also stars The Man In The High Castle actor Rufus Sewell who plays Prince Andrew, and Bodyguard frontwoman Keeley Hawes as the royal's Private Secretary Amanda Thirsk.
And when it comes to Mrs Maitlis herself, the broadcasting mogul is portrayed by critically-acclaimed star Gillian Anderson - famed for her appearances in the likes of The X Files, Sex Education and most recently, as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.
Naturally, therefore, viewers have been dying to know what Emily herself thinks of the production, with the BBC legend having remained rather tight-lipped since it was announced.
It turns out, however, that there's actually very good reason for this, being that the journalist has been authoring her own three-part version of the story for Amazon Prime titled A Very Royal Scandal, which will see Ruth Wilson portray her.
Speaking to Deadline, however, she revealed that she had no say on the casting director's choice to have Gillian play her.
Emily said: "I’ve left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views]."
She added that the two adaptations will naturally be different, as the Amazon focusses more so on Emily's story, as opposed to former BBC producer Sam's.
"It says it’s based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series]."
Emily's representatives later went on to confirm that her reference to a 'fictional account' was intended to describe Netflix's version as a 'dramatisation'.
And apparently, the broadcaster's belief that the two shouldn't be compared is supported by her former colleague Sam.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, the producer explained: "I mean it's fantastic and 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, absolutely none whatsoever."
Sam continued: "I wish her nothing but happiness and success and I'm sure she feels the same about me."
Topics: Celebrity, Netflix, Royal Family, TV And Film, BBC
Rhianna Benson