Events

Scoops: Sam McAlister in Conversation with Yalda Hakim

Thursday 4th May 2023
18:30 - 19:45 at Waterstones, London - Gower Street

Scoops: The BBC's Most Shocking Interviews from Prince Andrew to Steven Seagal (Paperback)

Sam McAlister

Join us for a fabulous evening with the wonderful Sam McAlister, author of Scoops, who will be in conversation with Yalda Hakim.

Scoops is a backstage pass to the most unforgettable journalism of our time.

Sam McAlister is the woman who clinched the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew, described as ‘a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion’.

She is many things beside: the first in her family to go to university; a trained barrister; a single mum; a master of persuasion. In her former BBC colleagues’ words, she was the ‘booker extraordinaire’, responsible for many of Newsnight’s exclusives over the past decade, including Stormy Daniels, Sean Spicer, Brigitte Höss, Steven Seagal, Mel Greig and Julian Assange.

After 12 years producing content for Newsnight, McAlister reflects with candour on her experience, sharing not just the secrets of how the best news gets made, but also the changes to the BBC, the future of ‘mainstream media’ in the age of clickbait and the role of power and privilege in shaping our media landscape.

Following the recent exciting announcement that Scoops has been snapped up by Netflix who are currently working on the film Scoop, we are delighted to be celebrating the paperback release of Scoops, on publication day itself!

'Sam McAlister is a force of nature - she's relentlessly pursued scoops for her entire career. And this is the book to prove it' - Steph McGovern

'Sam delivers where others fail. She has a zinger of a story to tell' - Huw Edwards

Sam will be discussing her fascinating career and Scoops with BBC presenter and journalist Yalda Hakim.

Do not miss this - book early to avoid disappointment! Join us from 18:00 for a welcome drink! Don't forget to include a copy of Scoops with your ticket, there will be a booksigning following the discussion.

Sam McAlister was the first in her family to go to university, before training to be a criminal barrister. As a single mum, she decided her real passion was in news. Now BAFTA-nominated for her work with BBC Newsnight, McAlister’s hard-won exclusives have shaped the public conversation.

Yalda Hakim is an award-winning foreign correspondent and currently anchors the flagship programme Impact with Yalda Hakim on BBC World News. In addition to her presenting duties, Yalda continues to deliver hard-hitting journalism in the field, for the Our World strand and across BBC News in both television and radio.

*Please note: unfortunately there will be no step-free access to the event, owing to both lifts in the shop currently being broken. Apologies for the inconvenience caused*

Waterstones, London - Gower Street

Thursday 4th May 2023
18:30 - 19:45

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Please note that events can occasionally be cancelled at short notice or their times or dates may alter; we therefore recommend that you check with the shop before travelling.
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