Okay, I'll be straight with you – "Scoops" by Sam McAlister was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting some juicy behind-the-scenes stories about those big interviews, but what I got was... well, not that.

The book felt like a bit of a self-congratulatory pat on the back. McAlister spends a lot of time talking about how clever she is and how she landed these big interviews, but the actual details are pretty thin on the ground. It's a lot of telling, not showing.

And honestly, some of the stories just weren't that interesting. I get it, getting these people to agree to an interview is a big deal, but the book focuses more on the chase than the actual interviews themselves.

A very interesting listen read by a fascinating woman. I haven't read many books like this before so I'm glad I read this one.

Immersive, Entertaining..
Immersive and entertaining, compelling and fascinating behind the scenes look at the most explosive interviews undertaken by the BBC. Sam McAlister shares her candid experiences and shares her secrets. The audiobook is expertly narrated by the author herself and it works wonderfully well. Fantastic.

Absolutely brilliant.

I saw the author talking on TV about her book and she was so engaging that I thought I would look to review her book. Luckily for me the audio was available and I listened to it in two sittings.

Sam McAlister narrates the book herself and it really made me feel like she was just telling her tales directly to me. She's got all the right tone in her voice and although it is fast paced that really suits the subject. There is no boring details it's just like a work experience day with her. She must have kept some very good diaries because the detail is amazing. I could have listened to her forever.

I am not really that interested in politics or the news but the fact that the author was previously a barrister drew me in. It's a career she fell into and the early part of the book covers her life growing up and going to Uni, where she literally fell into law. Deciding the stress was not for her she then ventured into radio and then Newsnight. Her skill set turned out to be the perfect match for these roles and listening to how she prepared for interviews was fascinating. I never really knew what a producer did, but I do now.

A really insightful book. Gives a great perspective from the other side of the TV screen. Love a book that makes me google places it people.

Would recommend

My thanks to NetGalley and W F Howes Ltd for a copy of “ Scoops” for an honest review.

I’d seen this title advertised and , after enjoying Emily Mathis’ “ Airhead”, also discussing working on Newsnight , I was really eager to read the producer of the program , Sam McAlister’s story..So much so that rather than waiting for the book , I took the opportunity of requesting the audio version. Which I hadn’t done in the past.
I’m so glad that I did !
This was a really interesting and engrossing book , narrated by the author herself.
It covers all the memorable interviews , in particular the infamous one with Prince Andrew , and all the hard work that went into securing it
I cannot recommend this highly enough.

I was drawn to 'Scoops' by Sam McAlister, because of a previous enjoyment of behind the scenes autobiographies. McAlister describes how she moved from training to be a lawyer, to working for the BBC as a producer for programmes such as News Night, and the processes involved in acquiring and planning important interviews.

I have to admit that I found McAlister's narration of her own words lacked warmth and humour, and did leave me feeling as if she was a little bit narcissistic. I'm not sure if I'd have felt the same way if I'd just read the book myself. I have asked myself if I would feel the same way if this book had been written by a man, and in all honesty I'm not sure. However, I found her hard to warm to and therefore wasn't as pleased about her successes as I might otherwise have been. I also found some of her explanation of terminology overly leaden, and wondered if the terms would have been better explained through examples (show not tell), rather than dictionary definitions.

A behind the scenes look at the colossal amount of effort that goes into producing what we see on television, and some great documentation of the tenacity of a good producer.

My heart sank a little when I saw this was narrated by the author. Few authors are good narrators. Sue McAlister is an exception; she’s an outstanding narrator and listening to her account was like having her in the room telling me all about Newsnight and more. It feels very personal and I wanted to interrupt a couple of times to ask a question!

This is a remarkable story, filled with life and energy. I learned a great deal about the way in which a programme like Newsnight is put together. The insight into the machinations of the BBC is illuminating and disappointing. Sue McAlister is clearly a talented and remarkable lady, gifted in so many ways and now she’s proven to be an outstanding author. I’ve listened to this book in two sessions. I was absolutely gripped with the stories if the subjects, I didn’t know all of them, but they were nevertheless fascinating. I thought the working bond between Maitliss and McAlister came across really well and I really understand the unknown role of the producer who delivers all, with little recognition.

Scoop is a triumph. It’s well written, fast paced and filled with balanced insight into people and corporate organisations. I love this lady and I hope we’re blessed with more written work from her. Her ability and enthusiasm comes across in every page and it’s a delight to find a person with principles and integrity. Absolutely loved this and highly recommended apfor anyone interested in what’s goinfpg on around us.