Gillian Anderson issues strong two-word response to claims she forced The Crown to make major changes

Gillian Anderson has issued an epic clapback to rumours that she 'refused' to return as Margaret Thatcher in the new series of The Crown on Netflix. The Sex Education star played the Tory Prime Minster for one installment, the fourth, of the royal series on the streaming service, and won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for the performance.

Reports have rumoured that the team behind the hit drama, based on real events with some fictional elements to fill in the gaps, had to rewrite the upcoming sixth and final series of The Crown because Anderson, who stars in other Netflix hit Sex Education, 'refused' to return to the Thatcher role.

Anderson had no qualms in setting the record straight with a two-word Tweet citing the reports as 'absolute b*****ks.'

Read more: The Crown, Willow, Sex Education and more - All the massive TV shows made in Wales

The reports in The Sun said she had 'refused' and also quoted sources saying there were scheduling conflicts.

As well as the star's setting of the record straight, Metro.co.uk also reported that a Netflix spokesperson told them: "Gillian Anderson was never intended to return as Margaret Thatcher."

Anderson, who shot to fame in the 1990s as FBI agent Dana Scully on The X Files, appeared during the 1980s episodes of The Crown which also saw Princess Diana and Charles get married, Michael Fagan break into Buckingham Palace. She starred opposite Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.

The final two series of the show are set in the 1990s and have Imeda Staunton as the Queen and sees the fallout of Charles and Diana's divorce, Diana's death and Tony Blair's rise to power. The sixth series is due to stream on Netflix later this year.

For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.

Read next:

• All the places the new Doctor Who series is being filmed in Wales

• The Welsh locations that have featured in Hollywood films and how you can track them down

• The famous people you didn't know were Welsh

• Catherine Zeta Jones says she 'loves' another man and husband Michael Douglas is fine with it

• Casualty star says it was ‘killing him' keeping his return to BBC show a secret