Amazon Prime on Tuesday released new first-look footage from its upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal and announced when the series will arrive on the streamer.
The dramatisation tells the story of the interview with Prince Andrew about the car crash, starring Michael Sheen as the Duke of York and Ruth Wilson as journalist Emily Maitlis.
The three-part series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on September 19.
It comes just five months after rival streaming platform Netflix’s version, which launched on April 5.
New photos released this week show the actors re-enacting the famous BBC interview that made television history, in which Prince Andrew spoke out about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claimed he didn’t sweat.
Amazon Prime on Tuesday released new first-look footage from its upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal and announced when it will hit the streamer
The dramatisation aims to retell the story of Prince Andrew’s interview about the ‘car crash’, starring Michael Sheen (left) as the Duke of York: Prince Andrew is seen on the right
Michael is pictured with the Duke of York’s white hair, while Ruth looks almost unrecognisable in a blonde wig.
The upcoming series from Amazon MGM Studios will focus much more on Emily Maitlis, who serves as an executive producer, while Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the series will “follow Emily Maitlis’ professional and personal journey as a journalist at Newsnight, culminating in her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.”
A press release continued: ‘A Very Royal Scandal follows Maitlis and Prince Andrew’s actions in the lead-up to the interview, the groundbreaking event itself and the many questions it raised that would change their lives forever.’
In the first episode, Prince Andrew tries to prove his innocence while finding himself in the middle of an international scandal, while Newsnight presenter Emily does everything she can to get an interview with him.
The second part deals with the interview, but the meeting takes several turns that Emily and the Newsnight team did not expect.
In the third episode, Prince Andrew faces the consequences for himself, his family and the royal business, while Emily ponders her reputation and the future of her career.
Starring alongside Sheen and Wilson are Joanna Scanlan as Amanda Thirsk, Alex Jennings as Sir Edward Young, Éanna Hardwicke as Stewart Maclean and Claire Rushbrook as Sarah Ferguson.
Ruth Wilson (L) will play the role of journalist Emily Maitlis (R)
The actress (pictured in May) looks almost unrecognizable in a blonde wig
Michael is pictured with the white hair of The Duke of York in the new photos (seen in March 2024)
The three-part series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on September 19.
New stills from this week show the actors reenacting the famous BBC interview that made television history when Prince Andrew spoke out about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claimed he didn’t sweat
Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming series will focus much more on Emily Maitlis, who serves as an executive producer, while Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew
Emily told Deadline: “I think that’s probably over the top, over the top. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both’ (pictured here at The Variety Club Showbusiness Awards 2024)
Speaking about the rivalry between Netflix and Amazon’s projects, Maitlis, 53, Term: ‘I think that’s probably overdone, exaggerated. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both.
The former BBC presenter added that she left the team behind Scoop “to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeping around the corner.”
‘It says it’s based on a fictional story, so I think it goes to different places and does different things [to the Amazon series].
Netflix published a disclaimer at the beginning of Scoop stating, “This film is based on true events, but certain elements have been changed for dramatic reasons.”
Netflix’s Scoop is based on a book of the same name by Sam McAlister and follows the BBC producer, played by Billie Piper, as she fights to make sure you get an interview with Prince Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, on Buckingham Palace.
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis, who pointedly questions the Duke.
Netflix’s Scoop is based on the book of the same name by Sam McAlister and follows the BBC producer, played by Billie Piper, as she fights to get an interview with Prince Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, at Buckingham Palace (Rufus pictured as Prince Andrew)
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis as she questions the Duke (pictured in Scoop) in a penetrating manner