NEW Netflix drama Scoop is set to shock viewers with its depiction of Prince Andrew.
The film’s premiere took place in London on Wednesday night, and a star- studded audience saw the royal, played by Rufus Sewell, portrayed as a bumbling, deluded fool.
In one shocking scene, he meets journalist Emily Maitlis, played by Gillian Anderson, and TV producer Sam McAlister, portrayed by Billie Piper — and cracks a joke about being pals with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The prince says in the show: “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with me and Epstein.
“I was much better friends with Jimmy Savile.”
In another scene, Andrew appears staggered when Emily turns up for his car-crash Newsnight interview of 2019 wearing trousers rather than a dress or a skirt.
He is also seen ticking off a member of palace staff for not arranging teddy bears and a toy kangaroo on his bed correctly, before yelling at her to go away. But perhaps the most eye-opening section features Andrew climbing out of the bath and standing fully naked.
It required some substantial prosthetics to be worn by superfit and slim actor Rufus.
Meanwhile, Emily is depicted in Scoop as a consummate professional who doesn’t let anyone — particularly the prince — get the better of her.
But Gillian admitted that, while playing the reporter, she did struggle with one particularly tricky co-star — a whippet who doubled up as Emily’s beloved pet, Moody.
The actress said: “There are a few scenes where I have a lead in my hand that is slack.
“But you can’t see that there’s nothing on the end of it because they did it in a way that you can’t see there’s no dog.
“It just would not stay by me and whined all the time — the dog didn’t really want to be there.”
I’m sure Prince Andrew will feel the same when Scoop drops on April 5.
FUN-loving telly presenter Jenny Powell proved she still has the party spirit this week.
She headed out in a blue co-ord set on Wednesday night to watch Cirque du Soleil’s new show Ovo, at Manchester’s AO Arena with fiancé Martin Lowe.
The former Wheel Of Fortune co-host posed on the red carpet before pulling an all-nighter and taking an early train to another event hours later.
In a video posted in the early hours, Jenny said: “It’s an early one today – looking forward to having a sleep on the train, and then up to London.”
After touching up the previous night’s hair and make-up, she posed in the same outfit at a 10am bash at a London pub.
Jenny joined the likes of The Chase stars Shaun Wallace and Jenny Ryan at the party marking Ken Bruce’s first year at Greatest Hits Radio.
BRIAN CONLEY has lifted the lid on his new show with Bradley Walsh, Joe Pasquale and Shane Richie– which includes its own bar on stage.
The four will take over the London Palladium tomorrow night with their show Bradley Walsh And Friends – or the Prat Pack, as Brian jokingly refers to it.
It will feature comedy sketches and singing.
Brian told the Fuelling Around podcast: “It’s been on the back burner for ages – we kept saying we should do this, then a night became free at the Palladium.
“We’ve mapped it out like the Rat Pack. We come on and do a little bit, then we all do a ten-minute slot.
“Then in the second half we have a bar, and we sit and sing songs, and we’ve got a big orchestra.
“We’re all at an age where we can put our egos away, to a degree, and just have fun.
“Brad wants to do more next year so, as long as the dates marry up, it will happen again.”
