A Very Royal Scandal: has the world reached peak Emily Maitlis?

There is such a thing as too much choice. Consider Emily Maitlis. Would madam prefer the Emily Maitlis that appears in A Very Royal Scandal (Amazon Prime)? Or the Emily Maitlis of Scoop (Netflix)? Or the classic, original Emily Maitlis (ex-Newsnight).

Emily Maitlis or Emily Maitlis or Emily Maitlis. Is that enough Emily Maitlis for you? Maitlis’s 2019 interview with Prince Andrew was a masterclass in forensic interviewing, and a landmark piece of television to rank alongside Panorama’s Diana interview. But does it merit two dramas within six months? Good question.

There is nothing else for it but to pit one lot against the other and see who emerges the victor. I’m imagining something like the scene in Anchorman with rival local news crews squaring up to each other. The basics are the same.

We see the courting of courtiers and Andrew and the interview itself. Some scenes are identical, such as Maitlis running in the park. The main difference is Scoop (Gillian Anderson s playing Maitlis), emphasises the role of ex-Newsnight booker Sam McAlister.

A Very Royal Scandal has Maitlis (Ruth Wilson) front and centre. Hardly surprising given both dramas were based on their respective books. Scandal is longer, three hour-long episodes rather than a feature-length 103 minutes, and spends more time on the aftermath.

It is more detailed and considerate, asking questions about the process and what, if anything, was achieved. There’s a fair bit of lionising Maitlis, which I didn’t m.