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Andrew insists on Pizza Express being part of Newsnight interview in teaser clip

A Very Royal Scandal will dramatise journalist Emily Maitlis’s scrutiny of Andrew over his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

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Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen in character as Emily Maitlis and the Duke of York

A teaser clip for a drama about the bombshell Newsnight interview with the Duke of York has been released.

A Very Royal Scandal will dramatise journalist Emily Maitlis’s scrutiny of Andrew over his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The three-episode Prime Video series sees former BBC journalist Maitlis played by Mrs Wilson actress Ruth Wilson, and Good Omens actor Michael Sheen as the duke.

In a teaser shown at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday, Sheen’s character asks Maitlis (Ruth Wilson) to question him on his defence to accusations from Virginia Giuffre that they had sex.

Emily Maitlis
Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis (Prime Video/PA)

It begins with the duke being thanked for the interview, before The Thick Of It star Joanna Scanlan, as Andrew’s ex-private secretary Amanda Thirsk, runs over to prompt him that there needs to be a discussion about the “alibis”.

Scanlan says: “Sir, the alibis, you didn’t mention those.”

Sheen then tells Wilson: “You didn’t ask me about my alibis as discussed the sweating, and Pizza Express.”

Wilson says that they “will absolutely do it now”, before they resume the interview.

The cameras and recordings are checked before filming is resumed, and the clip ends.

The disastrous Newsnight grilling in 2019 saw Andrew responding to Ms Giuffre claiming one alleged encounter began with the duke sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp.

But Andrew told Maitlis he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat, and that he had no recollection of ever meeting Ms Giuffre.

He also insisted he spent the day taking one of his daughters to the Pizza Express in Woking for a party.

Andrew has strongly denied the allegations about him, and settled his US sexual assault case out of court with no admission of guilt.

Maitlis, who left Newsnight to host The News Agents podcast with fellow former BBC journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, is an executive producer on the Prime Video show.

Netflix released a film called Scoop, with the work of Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, earlier this year about the same interview.

It starred Doctor Who actress Billie Piper as McAlister, Rufus Sewell as Andrew and Gillian Anderson as Maitlis.

A Very Royal Scandal will premiere on September 19 exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

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