First trailer for Netflix's 'Scoop' released

Piper's spaghetti hair and harsh makeup are a choice, it's all I could see watching that trailer.

R1 It's what I imagine Piper might look like had she never become famous.

The real Sam McAlister. That's some...generous casting.

5 stars from The Telegraph and a nice dig at royal sausage maker Peter Morgan of the Crown and The Queen fame:

"For all the sensation their interview would cause, this re-enactment grips consistently as a revolving study in personalities – and not just theirs. A watchful, wary Romola Garai is not messing around as the programme’s editor, Esme Wren. Our real hero, though, is Piper’s McAlister – a single mum with a reputation for rocking up late, taking long lunches, and not having much to show for them. She’s a veteran schmoozer who feels her groundwork is routinely undervalued, probably because she’s working-class.

We know that Anderson is a dab hand at upper-crust impersonations, and she doesn’t feel stretched as Maitlis – just casually inhabits her to a tee. Sewell must be the revelation. Aided rather than swamped by sagging-chin prosthetics, he desports himself with exactly the right degree of arrogant charm, exploring its limits brilliantly.

It gains layers – and that’s what sets it apart from The Queen, The Crown, or any other Peter-Morgan-written project you might name. The presence of Princess Beatrice at her dad’s preliminary chat with Maitlis and McAlister made me want to back into my seat cushion like Homer Simpson into a hedge. Meanwhile, the pathetic spectacle of Andrew clambering out of his bath, to a phone exploding with grim news about what was just broadcast, might be the bleakest use of screen nudity in memory."

Great makeup on Sewell.

I thought it was OK. So restrained it was a bit boring.

Oh, thank GOD Keeley Hawes finally found work! I was beginning to worry about her. /s

In other words, an adult story with no sashaying transvestites.

R3 I was wondering why Piper was styled so tackily and brassily. Chanel brooches and faux fur at work? Oof.

[quote]Feels like The Crown, but campier and darker. Gillian sounds like Thatcher light.

She’s using that croak which Emily Maitlis doesn’t have.

They’re not shying away by how much McAlister loathes her. Maitlis’ version will be on Amazon with Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen.

This movie is based on a juicy story and I just realised why there’s little DL chatter about it: it’s boring as hell.

I’m at the interview now and the direction is so mediocre: statement from Andrew countered with a steely look from Gillian Anderson, maternal wince from Keeley Hawes or a shit-eating grin from Billie Piper. I’m almost feeling sympathy with Andrew because he’s such a dim bulb; but hey, it’s a personality trait.

Also the BBC is almost North Korean in their embarrassing cow-towing to the palace. “Ooh, what if the Queen cancels the interview?”. Did the producers even mention Newsnight shitting the bed by cancelling the Savile expose?

Is this really interesting enough to make an hour and a half movie? I mean...who cares?

Dull, dull, dull. I like Rufus Sewell in this, but that's all. The makeup on Gillian ( and her voice) is distracting, and Billie Piper, too. There are some scenes where the makeup is especially bad. It's not horrible, but it's not compelling at all. It should have been more interesting especially because of the cast. Jmo, though.

[quote] like Rufus Sewell in this, but that's all.

Yeah, he took away acting honours.

I thought it was decent. I think Gillian Anderson is brilliant in pretty much anything she does. My only slight criticism is that because Emily Maitlis doesn't really have a distinctive voice, Anderson clearly chose not to try an impersonation. Which I understand, but it almost seems as though she's making a conscious choice to sound different to her, which I found a bit distracting.

It's good that McAlister was so involved with the production because at least you can be pretty certain that the majority of what you see on screen is at least based in reality - which is different to The Crown, where most of it's guess work. Obviously parts of Scoop are still dramatised, but not all. For example, when Beatrice turned up to one of the negotiations I was eye rolling thinking there's no way she'd have done that, but then I saw an interview with McAlister where she confirms Beatrice was at one of meetings and that she was very involved.

It'll be interesting to see how Maitlis' version differs. I bet she's a bit pissed off McAlister got her version out there first.

I usually like shows like this but it was deadly dull.

I don’t know why they showed her home life. Material just to pad the running time? Who cares if her son is interested in a girl at school?

I think it would have been a bit more interesting if they had shown a discussion with the Queen and maybe a private conversation with her advisors. The most interesting aspect of this whole thing is why the Queen allowed it to happen.

Additionally, when guests arrive at Buckingham Palace, do they go through the front gate like they portrayed? I thought there was a side gate.

I fell asleep.

R16 I think keeping the Queen off screen was the right move. Showing her would have immediately drawn comparisons to The Crown, which is best avoided.

I didn't get the impression she "allowed it", more that she trusted both Andrew and Beatrice's judgement. After all, it's pretty clear they both met with the Queen immediately after that final meeting and McAlister has said she thought the Queen would have also asked for Beatrice's view.

Let's not forget how old the Queen was by that point. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the decisions were taken out of her hands by that point. She was in her twilight years and had effectively already passed the baton to the next generation, though clearly she would have never abdicated.

So thinking this is the right place to ask, is there a Mary and George thread? I can't find anything active and am a bit surprised. It's DL catnip. Costumes, the homosex, Julianne Moore, seriously....

I finished watching it last night and found it entertaining enough. I liked the teddy bears on the bed scene. Andrew's private secretary seemed to be in a perpetual state of horror - or something, I'm not quite sure; but she seemed to have the same expression on her face throughout the whole movie.

She kind of hero worshipped him because he is a royal.

And she’s an otherwise intelligent, sober woman, so it’s interesting and telling she is so taken by his obvious character flaws.

Also, lucky Beatrice to be portrayed by Charity Wakefield.

[quote] I’m almost feeling sympathy with Andrew because he’s such a dim bulb; but hey, it’s a personality trait.

It's a family trait.

Good cast but never heard of it and can't imagine anyone outside the UK and possibly Australia caring about the subject matter enough to care to see it.

I watched it also. Very dull and boring. I never watched the real interview but I have no desire to now. The bed with teddybears...is that real? Creepy AF.

the actual interview is one of the most entertaining things i’ve ever seen. Because of his insane arrogance, Andrew thought he knew better than any pr person (or person with half a brain) telling him what a bad idea this was. Hearing him make his lame excuses as to why he was chums with a convicted sex offender, offhandedly remarking on elements of his jaw dropping wealth and privilege, and basically being the biggest buffoon on planet earth is highly entertaining. No dramatised version could ever live up to the real thing.

it also made me think a lot less of the queen for favouring this toad

Is that a man in R3's pic?

[quote] it also made me think a lot less of the queen for favouring this toad

They could have avoided all of this and paid a whole hell of a lot less money than the $16 million that they eventually paid the woman he assaulted if they had just paid her off in the first place. But NO, they (the royals) knew best. And for many years people stupidly believed Andrew when he said it never happened, that he never met her, that he never had his picture taken with her, that the photo of them was a fake, etc, etc. Even after all that was reported on by the media, a lot of people still refused to believe that it happened. They chose to believe Prince Andrew, when it was obvious to anyone with 2 brain cells, that he was lying.

Some people will always believe the bullshit lies that the royals tell.

Why didn't I have a part? There could have been a scene where I sent the Epstein victims encouraging messages on phallic looking bananas.

Another nail in the coffin of Princess Beatrice’s hopes for a bigger role in the family.

The film is very much made for Brits, and doesn't do much to explain who any of the principal characters really are. From the beginning Andrew is a loathsome reptile so it's impossible to care what happens to him.

I just didn't see much of a point to this.

I was looking at Reddit the day he paid the $16 million dollar settlement, r27. A bunch of incels were trying to argue that because he wasn't found liable/guilty in court, there's no way on earth he fucked that 17 year old girl and also a settlement is not an admission of guilt. Some people are just retarded and will not accept reality.

I love Gillian Anderson but I don't think there was enough content here for a movie.

[quote] Another nail in the coffin of Princess Beatrice’s hopes for a bigger role in the family.

I've never read anything to suggest Beatrice has any such hopes. She seems perfectly content to live in peace with her husband and daughter and not be a working royal.

I hope Gillian Anderson turns down future invitations to play women with post accents. She was ridiculously over the top in this.

It got extremely mixed reviews, but I loved it and was riveted the whole time. Anderson and Sewell were terrific.

Nice butt shot of "Andrew" haha

Does this story really need two tellings?

I’ll be at the Pizza Express in Woking

Rufus Sewell is still a very handsome man.

I preferred him in The Diplomat.