Kriti Mehrotra
As a bio-drama delving deep into how the women of BBC managed to secure the 2019 Prince Andrew exclusive regarding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, Netflix’s ‘Scopp’ is unlike any other. That’s because it gives us a complete picture of this award-winning ‘Newsnight’ interview from both sides, all the while also making us ponder whether the Duke of York was really being honest or not. It thus comes as no surprise journalist Emily Maitlis plays a significant role in this entire ordeal, especially since she’s the one to hammer him with all sorts of questions so that he can say his piece.
Who is Emily Maitlis?
Although born in Ontario, Canada, on September 6, 1970, to psychotherapist Marion and university professor Peter as the youngest of three daughters, Emily primarily grew up in Yorkshire, England. She hence attended the prestigious King Edward VII School in Sheffield before going on to pursue an English degree from Queens College in Cambridge, only to then kickstart her professional career. That’s when she realized that despite her unwavering childhood passion for drama as well as media, the perfect fit for her would be the world of broadcasting considering its massive internal scope.
Emily thus began working as a news documentarian in Cambodia plus China, where she was ultimately noticed by NBC network and offered a stable position with NBC Asia as well as TVB News. However, by the time the late 1990s rolled around, this business reporter filmmaker was more than ready for a change, driving her to join Sky News in the UK as a formal business correspondent. This is where she seemingly honed her skills to become the best of the best, resulting in her joining BBC News in 2001 — the same year she tied the knot with her devoted husband, Mark Gwynne.
If we’re being honest, Emily’s career at BBC has been quite the ride because she started by doing mere news bulletins before even getting an opportunity to evolve into a full-fledged presenter. Then there’s the fact she has held positions in various programs/channels, starting with BBC London News plus BBC News Channel prior to stepping foot into BBC Two and ‘Newsnight’ in 2006. She actually came on as a mere relief presenter at first, but she gradually worked her way up without complaints to secure the coveted title of lead anchor once journalist Evan Davis departed in 2018.
Emily Maitlis Has Since Moved On
Following three great years as the face of ‘Newsnight,’ during which she fronted some incredible specials and hence even won a number of awards, Emily decided to part ways with BBC in 2021. She actually did so after signing a deal with LBC’s parent company Global, alongside already outgoing BBC North America editor Jon Sopel, to launch a daily podcast as well as a joint radio show. Once this news broke, she stated, “It’s an amazing opportunity to do something we all love, and we are so thrilled Global is giving us this opportunity to be big and ambitious with this project.”
“Nevertheless, it will be a wrench to leave the BBC after 20 phenomenal years,” Emily also added. “I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had there.” ‘The News Agents’ podcast hence premiered with a bang on August 30, 2022, and since then, this former newsreader has also expanded her wings into production. She featured in Channel 4’s two-part documentary ‘Andrew: The Problem Prince’ in May 2023 plus was named executive producer on an Amazon series titled ‘A Very Royal Scandal’ in November of the same year.
In saying this though, it’s imperative to note that Emily was not involved in Netflix’s ‘Scoop’ — it was Sam McAlister who served as an advisor on this biographical drama production. So, this family woman and proud mother of two recently told Deadline, “I’ve left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views]. It says it’s based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series].” Yet she later clarified she meant “dramatization” instead of “fictional account.”
