Scoop

William Boot - nature writer - is accidentally dispatched instead of novelist John Boot to cover the war in Ishmaelia. He eventually returns a hero, although in another case of mistaken identity, Boot has been knighted in his place.Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the Daily Beast, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may, in a moment of weakness, make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs Algernon Stitch, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African republic of Ishmaelia. Here begins Waugh's exuberant comedy of mistaken identity and his brilliant satire on Fleet Street and its relentless and hectic pursuit of hot news.