Prince Andrew’s charisma fills a room, says ex-BBC producer behind Newsnight interview

Former BBC producer Sam McAlister says the Duke of York is eminently noticeable, for the right and wrong reasons. Photo / Getty Images

What’s it like to meet Prince Andrew? ‘There’s an energy to him that’s quite unusual,’ insists Sam McAlister, who negotiated his 2019 Newsnight interview.

The Duke of York has “charisma that fills a room”, the former BBC producer behind his devastating Newsnight interview has said.

Sam McAlister, the “booker extraordinaire” who negotiated the 2019 interview and whose memoir is the basis of the forthcoming Netflix film Scoop, said that Rufus Sewell, who plays the Duke, shares a “complexity” with him.

Rufus Sewell, who plays Prince Andrew in Scoop, shares a “complexity” with him says a former BBC producer. Photo / Netflix

Speaking to The Observer, she said: “Regardless of what people think about Prince Andrew, there’s an energy to him that is quite unusual, one I felt Rufus shared.

“A charisma that fills a room. Andrew is eminently noticeable, for the right and wrong reasons.”

She added: “And for only the right reasons, Rufus is also eminently noticeable. I felt he wouldn’t just do a pantomime version of the prince; that his energy was commensurate with that of the man I met.”

McAlister, who is played by actress Billie Piper in Scoop, was instrumental in arranging the interview in which the duke was questioned about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.

The film, due for release on April 5, is a behind-the-scenes look at how the interview that abruptly ended Prince Andrew’s royal career was secured and the way it unfolded.

The film features a behind-the-scenes look at how the interview abruptly ended Prince Andrew’s royal career. Photo / Netflix

Netflix has billed the drama as: “Navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high-stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal – to the jaw-dropping interview itself.”

McAlister said that during her time at the BBC, she had the “joy of obscurity” and was able to be more “fearless” in her decisions, something she insists can be seen in the film.

‘It was different for Emily’

“I didn’t envisage any of this happening to me,” she said, adding: “But it was different for Emily [Maitlis]. Every time she wore an outfit, there’d be 100 tweets criticising her look.”

Maitlis, who is played in Scoop by Gillian Anderson, interviewed the duke about his links to Epstein. After the BBC broadcast, the duke stepped down from public life as a working royal. He continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Emily Maitlis, played by Gillian Anderson, interviewed Andrew about his links to Epstein. Photo / Netflix

Sewell spent three hours per day being made up to resemble the duke, while Anderson studied the interview and watched episodes of Newsnight to capture Maitlis’ mannerisms.

Speaking about Piper’s portrayal of her, McAlister said: “I think we share the same essence. We’re both grafters, we’re both very warm, and we both care about our children above everything.”

She added: “But it’s really weird, it [Piper’s performance] feels more like me than me now.

“I have a little bit of snark, and I’m very resilient and passionate about my work, but there’s none of the mundane stuff. It’s like seeing the best version of yourself.”

The former producer described the movie as “an homage to BBC journalism”. Piper has described McAlister as an “unsung hero” for her role in securing the interview.