''Scoop'' is a 1987 television film directed by

Gavin Millar Gavin Millar (11 January 1938 – 20 April 2022) was a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter. Biography Millar was born in Clydebank, near Glasgow, the son of Tom Millar and his wife Rita (née Osborne). The family relocated ...

, adapted by William Boyd from the 1938 satirical novel ''

Scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...

'' by

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

. It was produced by

Sue Birtwistle Susan Elizabeth Birtwistle, Lady Eyre, (born 9 December 1945) is a producer and writer of television drama. Birtwistle has won awards for several of her productions, including '' Hotel du Lac'', ''Pride and Prejudice'' and '' Emma'', and was one ...

with executive producers Nick Elliott and Patrick Garland. Original music was made by

Stanley Myers Stanley Myers (6 October 19309 November 1993) was an English composer and conductor, who scored over sixty films and television series, working closely with filmmakers Nicolas Roeg, Jerzy Skolimowski and Volker Schlöndorff. He is best known fo ...

. The story is about a reporter sent to the fictional African state of Ishmaelia by accident.

Plot

In a case of mistaken identity, a naive young columnist for ''The Daily Beast'' is sent to cover a war in Ishmaelia. A confused editor, Mr. Salter (

Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' A Private Fu ...

), acting on the orders of his much feared 'boss', Lord Copper (

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

), tells

William Boot William Boot is a fictional journalist who is the protagonist in the 1938 Evelyn Waugh comic novel '' Scoop.'' Character Boot is the young author of a regular column on country life for a London newspaper named the ''Daily Beast''. His affected ...

(

Michael Maloney Michael Maloney (born 19 June 1957) is a British actor. Life and career Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series ''Telford's Change''. He made his ...

) to cover the ongoing war as the correspondent for the ''Beast''. Boot normally writes about British country life, but is too timid, and worried about losing his job for good, to say otherwise when he is ordered overseas. Boot is soon up to his neck in intrigue. All the foreign

journalists A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

are confined to the capital of Ishmaelia, and they are not allowed to leave unless permission has been given by the Minister of Propaganda. The journalists stick together, drinking and trying to pass time, but they watch each other jealously for signs that someone may have a story to send home. However, Lord Hitchcock, the correspondent for the ''Daily Brute'', is noticeably absent, and this sends the reporters on an insane quest into the desert in the hope of finding the sought-after '

scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...

'. The story is full of bizarre characters: an insane Swedish diplomat who goes berserk when he drinks too much

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...

, the mysterious Mr. Baldwin (

Herbert Lom Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegan ...

), and a German woman who claims she somehow or other lost her husband. The hapless William Boot appears to be completely out of his depth in the middle of all this chaos and confusion.

Cast

as Mr. Salter *

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern (3 October 19112 May 1995) was an English actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor to leading roles; by the time of his death ...

as Uncle Theodore *

as Mr. Baldwin * Nicola Pagett as Julia Stitch *

as Lord Copper *

Renée Soutendijk Renette Pauline Soutendijk (born 21 May 1957), known professionally as Renée Soutendijk (), is a Dutch actress. A gymnast in her youth, Soutendijk began her acting career in the late 1970s. She was a favorite star of director Paul Verhoeven's fi ...

as Kätchen *

as William Boot *

Sverre Anker Ousdal Sverre Anker Ousdal (born 18 July 1944) is a Norwegian retired actor. He is the father of actor Mads Ousdal. Biography Ousdal was born in Flekkefjord, Norway on 18 July 1944. He made his debut in 1965 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen. He wo ...

as Erik Olafsen * Jack Shepherd as Corker

References

External links

* 1987 television films 1987 films Films based on British novels Films based on works by Evelyn Waugh Films about war correspondents Films about journalists 1987 comedy films Films set in Africa Films directed by Gavin Millar Films with screenplays by William Boyd (writer) Films scored by Stanley Myers 1980s English-language films 1980s British films British comedy television films ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows {{UK-tv-film-stub