Ruth Wilson And Michael Sheen Lead Amazon Prime’s A Very Royal Scandal
Award-winning actors Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen are coming together to star in Amazon Prime’s newest big release, the three-part British miniseries A Very Royal Scandal. It tells the story of the infamous Newsnight interview between Prince Andrew (Sheen) and journalist Emily Maitlis (Wilson), including how it came about, the aftermath, and the broadcast itself.
The show is shaping up to be one of the must-sees of the month alongside big hitters like Slow Horses; the three episodes are set to arrive on the streaming platform on 19th September. Here’s all to know:
What is A Very Royal Scandal about?
First off, if the concept sounds familiar, it’s because Netflix also released their own take on the scandal earlier this year, in the form of the film Scoop, which featured Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell. A Very Royal Scandal is a spiritual successor to previous series A Very English Scandal and A Very British Scandal, focusing on, as the synopsis puts it, “One night. One hour. One interview that sent shockwaves around the globe.” Facing media scrutiny and with the Royal Family in increasing turmoil over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, Duke of York Prince Andrew agrees to a sit-down interview with respected journalist Emily Maitlis on Newsnight. The narrative will follow both Maitlis and Andrew before the interview and how they got to that point, with the interview being a make-or-break moment for both.
Of course, the intense interview itself, with its shocking moments surrounding Andrew’s links with both Epstein and Virginia Giuffre will be heavily featured, with many of the promotional images showcasing the two lead actors face to face recreating the all-important broadcast. Wilson sports Maitlis’ signature short blonde hair, while Sheen has convincingly transformed into Prince Andrew, as he’s done with many other public figures in his acting career. The official trailer for the series also showcases Wilson’s uncanny mimicking of Maitlis’ voice, familiar to anyone who watched Newsnight or listens to her podcast The News Agents, and Sheen’s own take on Andrew. There are glimpses of the journalistic preparation for the interview, juxtaposed with Andrew getting ready- “I’m going to blow this out the water” he proclaims.
What else do we know?
Amazon’s miniseries will also take a look at the aftermath of the interview and its explosive fallout that began to set in as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, if not during. There are indicators in the trailer that there’ll be something like The Crown’s behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Family’s inner thoughts- “The Queen is in shock” an aide declares. Also starring are Alex Jennings (A Very English Scandal), Joanna Scanlan (Bridget Jones’s Baby), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Thomas Arnold (Industry.) All episodes arrive on Amazon Prime on 19th September.
