Scoop unpacks a scandal of global proportions, but the fact it’s about a member of the British Royal Family accused of impropriety and making an idiot of themselves in a BBC Newsnight interview gives it a very English vibe. It stands to reason, then, that Scoop was filmed in London, the English capital, synonymous with the very family Prince Andrew comes from and the institution that Emily Maitlis grilled him on behalf of.
The UK-centric vibe is seen in the production team, director, and cast, too, so I’ve laid out the particulars of the production for those interested in learning more about how the movie made its way to Netflix.
Filming Locations
Scoop was filmed in London, so look out for iconic landmarks like Buckingham Palace in establishing shots | Image via Brittanica
It was necessary to film the story in London, and the cast and crew were reported to be carrying out location work all across the capital city by outlets like The Sun.
Many iconic buildings are easy to spot in establishing shots. Look, of course, for Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus, and the world-famous theatre the London Palladium is also briefly seen.
Mile End Park and Battersea were also utilized for some outdoor shoots, and Tower Hamlets would report on their site that, “The production filmed scenes at one of the borough’s most popular parks, Mile End Park and surrounding street Copperfield Road. The production also set up at Mile End Stadium to unit base for their filming in the borough.”
The location has also been used in the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black and in Netflix’s football-based movie The Beautiful Game.
The Production Team
Production came down to Lighthouse Film and Television and Voltage TV, with named producers being Radford Neville and Hilary Salmon.
Scoop was based on the work of former TV producer Samantha McAlister, a trained criminal barrister, who secured the interview for the BBC in the first place. Since then, McAlister would go on to write an autobiography called Scoops. In the film, McAllister is played by ex-Doctor Who icon Billie Piper.
The film was written by Peter Moffat, a former barrister turned writer, who also created the well-respected productions Silk, Criminal Justice, and North Square. He has since been associated with an upcoming feature that will explore another terrifying real-life situation involving the contaminated blood scandal.
Who Directed Scoop?
Scoop was directed by award-winning veteran director Philip Martin. Martin previously worked for the BBC on staples such as the documentary series Horizon, and the groundbreaking Prime Suspect.
Martin would go on to direct other major UK series such as Wallander, The Crown, The Tunnel, and Poirot, as well as TV movies The Girls Who Came to Stay, Bloodlines, and Double Helix: The DNA Years.
You can also check out our Scoop review for our thoughts on the movie overall and our ending explained to see how the interview affected Prince Andrew’s reputation. Spoiler: It didn’t go well.
