Who is former BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister and who is she played by in Scoop?
The producer says this was the best decision she ever made
THE explosive film Scoop showcases the bombshell Newsnight interview with the Duke of York, which left the country asking more questions about the royal’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The film was inspired by BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister’s memoir of the same name. Here’s what we know about her.
Who is former BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister?
Sam McAlister studied at the University of Edinburgh and embarked on a career as a criminal defence barrister.
She was the first to go to university in her family and eventually made her way into the media.
Before opting for voluntary redundancy in 2021, she dedicated a decade of her career to working as a producer for the BBC Newsnight programme.
The author secured exclusive interviews with notable figures including Bill Clinton and Elon Musk.
Among her major achievements is Prince Andrew’s Newsnight appearance.
The interview saw the Prince open up about his relationship with disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who went on trial in the same year on sex trafficking charges.
Writing for , the Bafta-nominated star said the interview took a year to organise.
Following the notable 2019 interview conducted by journalist Emily Maitlis within Buckingham Palace, Sam authored the book Scoops.
In it, she divulged behind-the-scenes insights from several of BBC’s most renowned interviews.
Her exclusives include interviews with Sheryl Sandberg, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, James Comey, Stormy Daniels, Julian Assange, Trevor Noah, Amy Schumer and Eric Schmidt.
In her book, she writes: “I finally got to articulate something that I had felt so strongly during my entire career, something that really mattered to me: publicly praise producers everywhere.”
Where is Sam McAlister now?
Sam is an executive producer of Netflix movie Scoop and helped write the screenplay alongside Peter Moffat.
The media specialist said she had hoped she could write the book while staying at the BBC, “but it was made clear that that wasn’t an option. And so I threw the dice. Found an agent. Gave up my staff job, risked it all”
She added that it was the “best decision” she ever made.
On top of that, she now earns a living as a professional speaker and holds the position of Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics.
She teaches negotiation, leveraging her background in both her Newsnight tenure and her career as a criminal barrister.
Sam said: “Now, instead of long days on the commute and in the airless BBC office, I’m always on the move: there’s been a TEDx talk, a fellowship at LSE, martinis at The Dorchester.”
Who is Sam McAlister played by in Scoop?
Sam is played by actress Billie Piper, while Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis.
The author recounted a hilarious incident on set where the crew mixed her up with the actress.
She said: “It was so bonkers… they couldn’t tell us apart even now with some of the photos we sent out from the movie… papers are getting mixed up between us.”
Like Billie, Sam is also a single mother.
“She’s had a period where she was bringing up a child on her own, so I felt she really got me,” she told during the premiere.
Billie was fascinated by the idea of playing Sam saying “I felt like she was this unsung hero”.
She is also looking forward to Maitlis’s upcoming project, where the news presenter serves as an executive producer.
The project, A Very Royal Scandal, is a three-part Amazon series about the same interview.
Sam said: “Some newspapers keep trying to hint at a feud between us, but I’m thrilled for her, genuinely.
“I can’t wait to find out who’s playing me”.
Scoop is available to stream on Netflix on April 5, 2024.