THE BBC Newsnight producer at the centre of Netflix drama Scoop has revealed a squad of Edinburgh rugby hunks paved the way for her Royal bombshell.
Sam McAlister – portrayed by Billie Piper, 41, in the Prince Andrew, 64, drama – admitted she snubbed a place at top-class establishments in Oxford and Cambridge after being wowed by a group of beefcakes at a Scots bus station.
The barrister-turned-telly queen was unwinding in a London eatery when she discovered that the Doctor Who blonde was playing her in Scoop.
She said: “People were confusing us both on set.
“Billie really captured the essence of my playful but pure steel personality.
“It was a screaming reaction when I discovered I was being played by Billie.
“I was in a restaurant with my mum when I found out and I literally let out a scream.
“I apologise to everyone trying to have a nice quiet dinner.
“But you can’t really say out loud ‘Billie Piper is playing me in a Netflix movie’ – you sound like you’ve had a lot of gin.
“No one would believe you, I barely believe it myself.
The Netflix release – featuring Rufus Sewell, 56, as the shamed Prince and Gillian Anderson, 55, taking the role of Newsnight bigshot Emily Maitlis, 53, – captures the Duke of York’s notorious 2019 car crash interview.
The hour-long jaw-dropper lays bare Virginia Giuffre’s explosive claims that millionaire paedophileJeffrey Epstein forced her to sleep with the Queen’s ‘favourite son’.
And behind-the-scenes, Newsnight producer Sam was the mastermind behind the most talked about interview in a generation.
However, years before making her name in a windowless office in the Beeb’s London headquarters, Sam started her journey as a student in Scotland’s Capital.
She recalled: “I think my days as an Edinburgh student helped pave the way for my career.
“I’m going to tell you the truth about why I chose Edinburgh Uni.
“My mum and I went to every university I was interested in.
“When I looked at Oxford and Cambridge, I didn’t really like the vibe.
'EMILY FEUD IS RUBBISH'
BY JORDAN TENNANT
SAM McAlister has rubbished feud claims over her relationship with big-shot Newsnight anchor Emily Matlis.
The powerhouse producer worked behind the scenes of the flagship news programme – fronted by veteran broadcaster Emily.
However it’s been reported that the female duo didn’t see eye-to-eye in the bustling BBC newsroom.
And Emily, who was apparently earning ten times the amount of money as Sam at the time, is set to release her own drama based on the scandalous interview.
The three-parter – A Very Royal Scandal – will be released later this year on rival streaming service Amazon.
It comes after Sam put to bed wild theories about a backstage bust-up and wished her former colleague all the best.
She said: “I’m sorry to disappoint you about a feud with Emily.
“As you can tell, I’m a woman who loves women.
“I’m proud to be associated with this incredible project and Emily is brilliant with what she does.
“I’m excited for her, I’m excited for her success – it’s just the sort of person I am.”
“We started going to other places because I was the first in my family to attend university.
“We got on the bus from the airport to Edinburgh and there was a very nice group of rugby lads.
“I was very taken by their intellect and character – I chatted with them the whole way there and decided Edinburgh was the place to go.”
The ambitious scholar – who studied in the city from 1992-1996 – fondly remembered that she was the only fresher dodging cheap shots down the student union.
She joked: “I was the only student in Edinburgh who didn’t drink.
“I spent my time mostly not going to lectures, but I used to dance a lot.
“I used to go dancing at nightclubs four times a week.
“I got frostbite on my toes from dancing because I was too cheap to pay for a coat.
“You know how the weather is in Edinburgh in the winter months.
“My student days were dancing, not drinking, lots of coffee and not much studying.
“There were two nightclubs I loved going to – Century 2,000 on Lothian Road and a reggae place called the Mambo Club.”
Frugal Sam laughed about a broken-down lift at her fifth-floor Marchmont student digs and revealed the sub-zero gaff was so cold she ‘couldn’t see her breath’.
However, this didn’t stop the penny-pinching party girl – and her six female roommates – from having a good time.
She added: “These were two places I’d always go and try to get in for a quid – or get in for nothing.
“And because I was so cheap, I’d put water down my boots so I didn’t have to pay for a drink.
“You don’t have a lot of money when you’re a student – you’ve got to be careful with it.”
And the telly boffin revealed that she ‘knows how to handle herself’.
Thanks to several fiery discussions with Glasgow and Strathclyde University, at the helm of Edinburgh’s debating society.
“The debates set me up for the BBC newsroom”, she said.
Sam quickly built up a reputation for being a powerhouse on the Beeb’s late-night news programme.
After booking a string of huge names for the flagship show– including Bill Clinton, Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s pornstarsex accuser Stormy Daniels.
However, her most controversial booking was Prince Andrew– after it emerged that he bunked up at beast pal Epstein’s New York lair.
Sam’s involvement in the infamous Palace sit-down went global – with the Prince’s barmy ‘I don’t sweat’ claims dominating the front pages.
And Sam reckons the disgraced Royal kicked back with popcorn at last week’s release.
She said: “I think Prince Andrew has probably watched the film– he’s quite robust.
“It is number one in the UK Netflix charts, so perhaps he’s watched it a lot of times.”
The film is based on Sam’s 2022 book Scoop – which was branded a “cracking read” by fellow journalist Lorraine Kelly, 64.
The riveting read lifts the lid on Sam’s colourful career at the BBC and documents the ups and downs of her seasoned career.
And Sam reckons her literature lends itself to another feature-length streaming flick.
She said: “It would be great if Netflix agreed to produce a second movie based on a chapter from my book.
“There’s one episode in the book about Julian Assange– I spent some time with him in the Ecuadorian embassy.
“The most memorable part was a handshake that lingered just a little bit too long – I can still kind of feel it now a decade later.”
Telly queen Sam has been catapulted into a string of star-studded parties and A-list events– but she still values her days as a humble Edinburgh student.
“I don’t see myself as a celebrity. I’m Z-list at best, let’s be honest”, she modestly declared.