by Amanda Redman and Connor Swindells are among those joining the cast of the Netflix film Scoop based on the interview the Duke of York gave to BBC Newsnight in 2019.
The ensemble cast joins Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell, who were announced last month as the film’s lead characters, Emily Maitlis and the Duke of York.
According to Netflix, the upcoming film will offer viewers an “inside track” on how Andrew ended up being grilled by former Newsnight host Maitlis over his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Redman, 65, who is best known for New Tricks, will star as Netta, the mother of Newsnight producer and writer Sam McAlister, who negotiated and secured Andrew’s booking.
The upcoming film is based on McAlister’s memoir Scoops: The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews From Prince Andrew To Steven Seagal.
It was previously announced that I Hate Suzie star Billie Piper will play McAlister.
26-year-old Netflix series Sex Education star Swindells will play the role of Jae Donnelly, the photographer who captured the now infamous photo of Andrew and Epstein in New York’s Central Park.
Elsewhere in the newest cast, Becoming Elizabeth actress Romola Garai will join as Esme Wren, the then Newsnight editor who oversaw the interview.
Meanwhile, Lia Williams, who starred as Wallis Simpson in Netflix hit The Crown, will play Fran Unsworth, then director of news and current affairs at the BBC.
Completing the newly announced cast, Wolf Hall’s Charity Wakefield will portray Andrew’s daughter, Princess Beatrice.
Sex education star Anderson, 54, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, will play Maitlis, who conducted the interview.
While Andrew is played by Sewell, 55, who recently starred in The Man In The High Castle and The Pale Horse.
Keeley Hawes, who has appeared in It’s A Sin and recently Stonehouse, also plays Amanda Thirsk, the Duke’s former private secretary.
During the Newsnight interview, which won Scoop of the Year at the Royal Television Society Awards in 2020, the Duke denied claims he had sex with Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked three times, including when she was 17 – still a minor under US law, by Epstein, who died in August 2019 at the age of 66.
She said the Duke was sweating profusely as they danced in an alleged encounter at London nightclub Tramp.
When asked about the allegations, Andrew Maitlis said he had an illness caused by his service in the Falklands War, which at the time meant he was not sweating.
During the interview, Andrew also said he has no recollection of ever meeting Ms Giuffre and spent the day in question at Pizza Express in Woking for a party with one of his daughters.
Last year, the Duke settled his US sexual assault case out of court, although the settlement was not an admission of guilt and he has consistently denied the allegations against him.
The release date for Scoop, which is currently in production, is yet to be confirmed.
