A Very Royal Scandal premieres on Amazon Prime Video this month, and some viewers may feel a serious sense of déjà vu - here's tvguide.co.uk's review.

The new mini-series dramatises one of the most talked about hours in recent TV history - when Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew for Newsnight.

The 2019 interview was widely viewed as a car-crash. One that subsequently led to Andrew withdrawing from the public eye.

The Newsnight interview saw the disgraced Royal talk to the BBC presenter about his alleged sexual encounter with Virginia Giuffre, and his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In A Very Royal Scandal, the makers have another pop at dissecting the events leading up to the interview, and the interview itself. But is it worth watching? Here's our review of A Very Royal Scandal.

Is A Very Royal Affair on Amazon Prime Video worth watching?

The Amazon Prime Video series streams from Thursday, September 19, 2024. The three-parter stars two of our favourite British actors - Ruth Wilson as the BBC's Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, and Michael Sheen as Prince 'I fought in the Falklands' Andrew. That alone gives it 'watch me' vibes.

Other cast include The Larkins' Joanna Scanlan, who plays misguided Amanda Thirsk, and The Sixth Commandment's Éanna Hardwicke as Stewart Maclean. Sherwood's Claire Rushbrook is frankly too believable as Sarah Ferguson (genius casting).

And it's good. A Very Royal Scandal is undeniably a well-researched, brilliantly acted, quality piece of work.

Like the previous series in the highly respected A Very… Scandal anthology - 2018's A Very English Scandal, and 2021's A Very British Scandal - it's an exceptional drama dramatising a momentous event in UK history.

What it gets right...

As well as the brilliant cast, and its focus on a fascinating time in recent British history, A Very Royal Scandal shines the light on Emily Maitlis - her home life, and her all-consuming preparation for the interview.

It paints a portrait of a dogged, relentless, truth-seeking journalist who also has her insecurities. Emily is not just a human eye-roll. This all makes sense when you consider that Maitlis consulted on the series, and is credited as an executive producer.

She recently told The Hollywood Reporter: "I guess I threw myself into the Amazon project because I'd met [screenwriter] Jeremy Brock and I really liked his work. I got to know Ruth Wilson incredibly well. I loved Michael Sheen. So it became just a really easy choice for me. I think you have to immerse yourself into the thing that feels like the right project for you."

It's a fleshy, sometimes uncomfortable look at the power Prince Andrew had. The moment where the pompous prince asks the Newsnight staff, including Emily, if she'd been abused, is frankly jaw-dropping.

The series also touches upon Andrew's children, and the effect the scandal had on them. Something we often forget.

What's wrong with A Very Royal Scandal?

My first thought after pressing play on the series? Did this really need to be made?

Millions of us watched the original interview in 2019. And it is currently still available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Unsurprisingly, the interview on YouTube now has over 10 million views.

Just weeks after Newsnight first aired, Virginia Giuffre claimed Epstein trafficked her on BBC Panorama.

And, more recently, Netflix released their own take on the interview. Scoop was released just this year. It also dramatised the events leading up to the interview, albeit largely from the viewpoint of producer Sam McAlister.

Yes, it's a different spin. Yes, A Very Royal Scandal puts more meat on the bones, but it's still a drama about a very disturbing crime - the alleged trafficking and rape of a 17-year-old girl.

Do we know definitively what happened between Virginia and Prince Andrew after watching this? No, and it's unlikely we ever will.

My biggest beef with the series is the occasional attempts to be funny. Now I love a bit of comedy. But is this the right place? This is not 'Randy Andy' we're talking about anymore. This is a man accused of raping a teenager especially trafficked to have sex with him.

Of course, this is a drama and not a documentary, so no real revelations or conclusions are made. It's just another viewpoint.

How is A Very Royal Scandal different to Scoop on Netflix?

Netflix dramatised the Newsnight interview in the feature-length Scoop, which was not even two hours long. A Very Royal Scandal, however, is a three-part drama, covering three hours so inevitably more detailed.

While A Very Royal Scandal covers Emily Maitlis' interview from the perspective of the former BBC journalist, Netflix's Scoop was based on Newsnight producer Sam McAlister's autobiographical book, Scoops. In AVRS, Sam's role is reduced to a few lines.

Both dramatisations are based on real events and individuals. However, some events have been fictionalised and adapted for dramatic purposes.

While Billie Piper was very watchable as Sam in Scoop, I rather wish I'd watched A Very Royal Scandal first. It's arguably the better drama, but sadly came second in the race.

A Very Royal Scandal premieres on Thursday, September 19, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.