Emily Maitlis's dog in Scoop: Did she really bring Moody to work with her?

Scoop has dropped on Netflix, meaning we're reliving that infamous Prince Andrew and BBC journalist Emily Maitlis' interview. But any unexpected cast member has emerged as a start of the show - Emily's pet whippet, Moody, 

Based on the real-life event, where the BBC was granted permission to interview the Duke of York regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, Scoop unpacks exactly how the interview came about and how Emily prepared for what was arguably one of the most shocking TV moments in recent times (if you need a refresh, this is how you can watch Prince Andrew's 2019 interview). 

And it's fair to say viewers have a lot of questions, starting with whether Emily Maitlis really took her dog Moody everywhere. In Scoop we see Emily, played by Gillian Anderson, constantly accompanied by her sweet grey whippet. 

She's seen walking and running with Moody, and even has him join her at work in the Newsnight studio. During one scene, she references how often he's there, saying, "Three women and a whippet? Wouldn’t have seen that in a BBC studio when I started." Her whippet is even spotted as she rehearses her interview questions for Prince Andrew.

So, did Emily really bring her dog everywhere? The truth is a little less extreme. Yes, according to sources Emily is very close to her dog and she did bring him into the office on occasions, but not quite as much as the film suggests. 

A BBC insider told the Daily Mail (via The Independent), "Emily loves that dog so much, and he would often be at her side when she came to work. It was just one of those things that happened."

But, as The Independent reports, Newsnight sources confirmed she never brought Moody to the office when she was presenting, but only occasionally when she was doing prep work. Just looking at Emily's Instagram page, it's clear that she adores her pet, often posting pictures of him with the affection nickname, Moods.

And it would appear that now that he's been thrust into the spotlight, Moody is gaining his own fans. 

Under an Instagram post showcasing a sweet picture of the dog, one fan wrote, 'Just watched Scoop. Obsessed with the dog'. While another said, 'If you even take your dog to work… you are even more amazing than I thought you were.'

Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews by Sam McAlister £7.79 | Amazon
The new Netflix film is based on TV producer Sam McAlister's book Scoops, which reveals exactly how she secured the Prince Andrew interview in 2019, which became one of the most explosive interviews in BBC history.

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But while it's clear that Moody himself is an absolute treasure, Gillian Anderson revealed that the dog playing him in Scoop wasn't quite as well-behaved. 

She revealed at the Scoop premiere this week (via Daily Mail), "There are a few scenes where I have a lead in my hand that is slack, but 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."