Netflix has released a statement defending the upcoming series of The Crown after the show was criticised as “damaging and malicious.”
The fifth and penultimate season of the streaming giant’s hit drama will be released in November, and is expected to feature scenes slammed by a former Prime Minister as “nonsense.” The new series will reportedly show the King – then the Prince of Wales – hosting a secret meeting with Sir John Major at Highgrove in 1991 while plotting to oust the Queen.
Sir John labelled the scenes as “malicious nonsense,” while a spokesman for the former PM – to be played by Jonny Lee Miller in the series – previously told The Times that if scenes depicting the meeting are broadcast “they should be seen as nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction”.
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In a statement defending The Crown, a spokeswoman for Netflix said: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series five is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”
Netflix also said the sixth and final series of The Crown will not depict the Paris car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales in August 1997, contrary to media reports. The PA news agency understands the series will show the lead-up to the fatal incident as well as its aftermath, but not the crash itself.
Last week, a source on the production told Deadline how the cast and crew are “dreading” the filming of the tragic event. The fourth series of Netflix’s flagship royal drama also attracted criticism for allegedly not doing enough to ensure viewers knew it was a work of fiction.
Oliver Dowden, the then culture secretary, asked the streaming service to add a disclaimer to episodes, a request the company rejected. Although there is no disclaimer on the individual episodes, the show is labelled with a “log line” as a fictional drama based on historical events.
For its upcoming series, which features yet another cast overhaul, Charles and Diana will be played by Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki respectively. Imedla Staunton takes over the role of the Queen from Oscar winner Olivia Colman, who portrayed the late monarch for two seasons.
The Crown was due to end after the fifth series, but the show’s creator and writer, Peter Morgan, later said it would be extended to include a sixth series. Filming on the latest series of The Crown was halted as a mark of respect after the Queen’s death, as well as on the day of her funeral.
It was previously revealed that series five of the show would delve into Diana’s now infamous Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir, and it is expected to explore the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.
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