A VERY ROYAL SCANDAL (2024) – A retelling of the scandal from a different point of view

This new 3 parts TV series is basically covering the same story as the recent Netflix series Scoop earlier this year. The Royal Scandal here being Prince Andrew’s close association with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and sex offender. This led to him being accused by a woman who alleged that she was forced to have sex with the Royal by Jeffrey, when she was 17 years old. Both series focus on the now infamous BBC interview with Prince Andrew and TV journalist Emily Maitlis, which resulted in Prince Andrew’s pitfall due to the backlash from the public on his stance and response to the allegations. 

While both series predominantly covered a very similar scope, it was interesting to compare the differences in the approach taken in telling the tale. A Very Royal Scandal gives more screentime for viewers to get to have an idea how the scandal impacted on key family members of the Prince like his daughters and ex-wife Fergie. It also dwelled on further on the aftermath of the interview and what happened in the years that followed. In that respect, Scoop had a far more focused storyline that is told mainly from the point of view of the BBC journalists and on the actual interview itself. I would say that it was interesting to see this story unfold from different perspectives as each provided details that the other did not.

The far more impactful difference for me, was how well the portrayals of the key characters went in the two series. The main character in Scoop was clearly BBC journalist Emily Maitlis and Gillian Anderson nailed it in a brilliant performance as Emily. She came off as someone who was professional, confident and likeable. Ruth Wilson’s portrayal of Emily in A Very Royal Scandal was quite the opposite. Apart from being a bit exasperating, she was also seen as overly career minded, often leaving her family members (and her dog) neglected. She also had an annoying nasal tone to her voice and does not come across convincingly as a top-rated TV journalist. Michael Sheen on the other hand was excellent as the Prince giving us a glimpse at a Prince who was also very much a human being like the rest of us. Even though his Prince Andrew may be unflattering, he still comes across as someone who we can almost sympathize with. Sheen handles this balance in performance effortlessly. He was the best thing about the series.

I guess the comparison and ranking between the two series is inevitable especially when they are released so closely together. For me, Netflix’s Scoop felt the more satisfying watch of the two. A Very Royal Scandal felt more disjointed as it attempts to cover more grounds but ends up losing its hold on the audience in the process. It did benefit from revealing more about the fallout as Scoop which I give it due credit for.