Images: Getty Images

Netflix has picked up LADLE, a new biopic that takes a behind-the-scenes look at BBC Newsnight’s interview with Prince Andrew. An all-star cast has been assembled and production has begun. Here’s what you need to know.

The project has been in development for some time before being attached to Netflix.

Deadline first reported in January 2022 that the script was being developed by Peter Moffat, with the project initially planned to start filming in November 2022 and had eyed Hugh Grant for a lead role (which he subsequently denied).

According to Netflix, the film is intended exclusively for them as a Netflix Original and has started production in the UK.

Here’s what else you need to know:


what is netflix Ladle about?

prince andrew bbc interview newsnight

Image: BBC Newsnight

The new film will be a «behind the scenes account» of the famous interview that aired on BBC Newsnight on November 16, 2019. Prince Andrew was interviewed by veteran journalist Emily Maitlis and addressed the recent and growing allegations connecting him to Jeffrey Epstein.

This film looks at how the BBC rated the interview, which had profound effects on Prince Andrew’s future role within the Royal Family and the ongoing case surrounding convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The film will be based on the account provided by producer Sam McAlister and his memoir called Scoops: Behind the scenes of the BBC’s most shocking interviews.

By good readsHere’s what the book, first published in July 2022, is about:

“She is the woman who landed the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew, described as ‘a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami and triggering a nuclear explosion.’

After 12 years producing content for Newsnight, Sam McAlister reflects candidly on his experience, sharing not only the secrets of how the best news is made, but also the changes at the BBC, the future of «mainstream media» in the age of the clickbait. and the role of power and privilege in shaping our media landscape.

Netflix’s logline for the project expands further, talking about the themes to expect from the upcoming film:

LADLE is the insider’s account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and grit broke through the highest ceilings and into the inner sanctum and the calculations of a man who has all to lose. .”

As an introduction, the full interview remains available on the BBC News YouTube channel, has over 7.2 million views and can be found embedded below:


Who is in the cast of Netflix? Ladle?

cast for netflix movie scoop

Pictured: Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell

Four cast members have been confirmed to star in the film so far.

  • gillian anderson (Sex education, The Crown, The Fall) will play Emily Maitlis in the film, a former lead anchor for Newsnight and now host of The News Agents for Global Radio podcast.
  • keeley hawes (Bodyguard, Stonehouse, it’s a sin) She will play Amanda Trisk, Prince Andrew’s former private secretary.
  • billie piper (I Hate Suzie, Doctor Who) will play Sam McAlister, the BBC producer who scored the booking.
  • rufus sewell (The upcoming Netflix series the diplomat, The father, The wonderful Mrs. Maisel) will star as Prince Andrew.

Who is behind Netflix? Ladle?

philip martin netflix director scoop

Philip Martin, winner of an Emmy and a BAFTA – Image: Getty Images

Emmy and BAFTA Award Winner Philip Martin attached to lead the project. She has previously worked at Night sky for Prime Video and cataline the great for HBO.

Martin is also no stranger to on-screen coverage of the royal family, having served as an executive producer on multiple seasons of Netflix’s multi-award-winning series. The crown. He has also directed several episodes.

In a statement, Martin commented on the new film, saying:

“I am thrilled to direct this film for Netflix and, along with an extraordinary cast, to bring Sam McAlister’s revealing insider’s tale to the screen. Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to take the audience inside the impressive sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew, to tell a story about the search for answers, in a world of speculation and varied memories. It is a film about power, privilege and different perspectives and how, whether in gleaming palaces or high-tech newsrooms, we judge what is true.»

LADLE is produced by Hilario Salmon and Radford Neville (Luther, MotherFatherSon) for The Lighthouse Film & Television, with Sanjay Singhal (Problems at Topshop) for VT voltage.


Are you excited for the next Netflix movie on Prince Andrew BBC Newsnight interview? Let us know in the comments below.