Did Emily Maitlis Really Lose Her Dog Before the Interview?

As viewers watch Netflix’s new film, Scoop, they may notice one very specific detail about journalist Emily Maitlis, who conducted Prince Andrew’s now infamous 2019 Newsnight interview at Buckingham Palace: Notably, her attachment to her whippet, Moody.

Right before the interview, the film shows Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) going for a jog in the park, preparing her questions. Soon, she realizes Moody, her dog, has run off. He quickly runs back, and an onlooker says, “You chase them, you’ll never catch them. And then when they’re ready to come, you won’t be there,” which prove to be prescient words for how she’s about to talk to the Duke of York.

This really happened: A day before taping the interview, Maitlis really did lose her beloved dog in Hyde Park. “PSA. I have lost moods – this dog. Hyde park area. If spotted please phone his tag number thanks so much,” Maitlis posted on Twitter on November 13, 2019.

She followed up, saying, “All found safe and well. Thanks everyone. Panic over. Thanks !! Xxx.”

As Scoop depicts, Moody is often by Maitlis’s side.

A story published in the Evening Standard in December 2023 reported “former Newsnight anchor Maitlis comes in most mornings with her pet whippet, Moody, in tow. LBC staff were not aware that dogs are allowed in the office. Maitlis then deposits the lead with one of her producers, who is often seen walking the dog up and down the studio while the three stars record the podcast. Moody is clearly used to the good life: Maitlis once got flak for letting the pooch sleep next to her on the seat of a busy train.”

The dog also makes a frequent appearance on Maitlis’s social media: