'Scoop' movie review: Behind the scenes of the 'big story'

There is a scene in 'Scoop' where Prince Andrew is nervously rehearsing for an interview he is scheduled to give to the BBC's 'Newsnight' programme. At one point, he says "that woman" referring to someone he may or may not have had sex with and gets mildly chided by his secretary: "Please don't say 'that woman'. Ever." His exasperated reaction to this admonition is a hint of the public relations disaster he lands himself into post the infamous interview.

For a movie that works with limited material and no possibility of suspense — the dramatisation of what the BBC itself terms "one of the most astounding interviews in television history" —  it does well to hold the tension till the very end and even manages to forge an emotional connect with the journalists who work doggedly to land this particular scoop. Its cold opening is certainly dramatic but this means the movie ends up giving very little context and virtually no background information. 'Frost/Nixon' comes to mind but the 2008 film did a much better job of establishing context. Moreover, Watergate is undoubtedly more widely known than the Epstein sex scandal.

Read up a bit before watching and you won't be disappointed. This fast-paced well-acted story also tackles classism within the hallowed halls of the Beeb, touches upon its dwindling resources and neatly portrays the excitements and tensions journalists thrive in, when they know the story is big. Cleverly, this is an underdog tale too — of Sam McAlister, the 'Newsnight' booker who tirelessly pursues the story despite being sniggered at as an 'outsider' by her nose-in-the-air colleagues.