From the Editors

Making television about television must be tempting. After all, television as an industry is as self-absorbed as any other. But unlike, say, The Hour, the 2011 BBC drama series that looked back at the early days of BBC TV, or the BBC spoof W1A, the latest addition to this genre could never be accused of excessive navel gazing.

Firstly, it’s a drama about a Newsnight story, made by Netflix. Secondly, it’s centred on the travails of the royal family, which means it has a broad appeal when it comes to finding an audience.

Since the first series of The Crown in 2016, dramas about the House of Windsor have proved good business for Netflix. This latest drama, Scoop, which tells the story of Prince Andrew’s 2019 interview with then Newsnight star Emily Maitlis, shares the The Crown’s production values and features a big-name cast – Gillian Anderson plays Maitlis, Billie Piper the Newsnight fixer Sam McAlister and Keeley Hawes is Amanda Thirsk, Prince Andrew’s PR minder.

The shaming of a prince provides the story. The fact he stuck by a convicted paedophile for far too long, appearing shifty and uncomfortable on screen while excusing his actions and failing to express any regret, gives the drama it’s moral authority. But it’s the tale of the women who brought about his downfall that powers the narrative.

When you appreciate all that, it’s not so surprising that a drama about an hour-long TV interview proves so engaging. How could it fail? But, as with most winning stories, there are losers. In this case, a prince who wrote himself out of public life and a PR advisor who lost her job. Read what Sam McAlister thinks of that, plus the rest of the cast on making a drama out of a royal crisis, in our feature beginning on page 12.