‘She was an unsung hero’: Billie Piper on playing producer Sam McAlister in a new drama about Prince Andrew’s Newsnight fiasco

In Scoop, the story behind the prince’s disastrous TV appearance, Piper plays McAlister, the woman who landed the interview. They discuss their unlikely alliance, the pitfalls of fame and the extent of Andrew’s delusionsThe Netflix film Scoop, which retells the story of how Newsnight landed its infamous, eye-popping 2019 interview with Prince Andrew, has a strong Working Girl vibe, which may be one reason why I enjoyed it (I’m talking about the Oscar-winning 1988 movie, in which Melanie Griffith plays a girl from Staten Island who dreams of climbing the corporate ladder). In part, this is thanks to the blond wig worn by one of Scoop’s stars, Billie Piper, which comes with a powerful whiff of the late 1980s. Mostly, though, it’s because Peter Moffat’s screenplay pitches Piper’s character, Sam McAlister, as a plucky outsider surrounded by somewhat toffee-nosed types who only finally begin to take her seriously when she lands the TV exclusive to end them all. One minute, her lip is trembling with the unfairness of it all. Why do her bosses disdain all her brilliant ideas? The next, she’s at Buckingham Palace telling the queen’s favourite son to his face that his brand is distinctly grubby and could do with a generous spin in the Newsnight washing machine.Was it really like this? When I meet Piper and the real life McAlister at Netflix HQ in the weeks before Scoop has its premiere, I hope vaguely to get to the bottom of some of the gossip that trails it; there’s talk, for... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-31 06:00:30 UTC ]
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Tudor's The Chalk Man to be six-part drama

BBC Studios Production, in association with Nice Media Studios and Windowseat, has secured the rights to develop The Chalk Man by C J Tudor.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-28 10:55:23 UTC ]
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Abraham Lincoln and John Brown: Imperfect heroes of the fight to end slavery

H.W. Brands critiques the wildly different paths the two men took toward the same goal. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-23 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Andrew O'Hagan’s Mayflies optioned for TV

Synchronicity Films is developing a limited series based on Andrew O'Hagan’s Mayflies, with screenwriter Andrea Gibb on board to adapt the novel.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-22 09:40:11 UTC ]
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Samantha Bond to play the Queen in Windsor Knot audiobook

Samantha Bond will narrate the audiobook of S J Bennett’s novel, The Windsor Knot.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-21 13:14:02 UTC ]
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Korean American experience resonates in ‘The Prince of Mournful Thoughts’

The longing for connection, for belonging, is woven throughout a dozen short stories in Caroline Kim’s superlative debut collection. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-10-13 22:35:50 UTC ]
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Korean American experience resonates in ‘The Prince of Mournful Thoughts’

The longing for connection, for belonging, is woven throughout a dozen short stories in Caroline Kim’s superlative debut collection. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-10-13 22:35:50 UTC ]
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Korean American experience resonates in ‘The Prince of Mournful Thoughts’

The longing for connection, for belonging, is woven throughout a dozen short stories in Caroline Kim’s superlative debut collection. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-10-13 22:35:50 UTC ]
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The State of Book Producing in 2020

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Sam McBratney

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Guess How Much I Love You author Sam McBratney dies aged 77

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[ The Guardian | 2020-09-21 14:12:28 UTC ]
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Spanish-speaking writers are producing ambitious science fiction and fantasy. Let these books be your introduction.

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[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Shobna Gulati: 'I've played the Queen, Thatcher and the Virgin Mary – on radio'

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[ The Guardian | 2020-09-16 05:00:14 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Caravel to publish Portraits for NHS Heroes

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-14 23:35:46 UTC ]
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News Corp troops turn their fire on Catherine Andrews for daring to use Twitter | Weekly Beast

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[ The Guardian | 2020-09-11 02:08:51 UTC ]
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Ayad Akhtar’s play ‘Disgraced’ won a Pulitzer Prize. Now ‘Homeland Elegies’ shows what that success cost him.

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[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-31 10:55:09 UTC ]
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Sam Thompson goes to Little Island for children's debut

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-24 12:43:48 UTC ]
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These 10 Manga Like NARUTO Are Giving You Heroes To Root For

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[ Book Riot | 2020-08-24 10:35:00 UTC ]
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‘Finding Freedom’ dissects Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s break with the royal family

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[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-17 05:36:04 UTC ]
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Hodder Faith and St Andrew's Bookshop launch The Big Church Read

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-12 13:00:50 UTC ]
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Hero's welcome for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai after release on bail

Apple Daily founder and pro-democracy activist returns to office following arrest under national security lawThe Hong Kong pro-democracy figure and media mogul Jimmy Lai received a hero’s welcome as he returned to his newspaper after being arrested on allegations of foreign collusion, while... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-12 09:31:31 UTC ]
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