Netflix adds warning to The Crown trailer after Judi Dench slams TV series | Radio-Canada News

Netflix’s crown jewel is back for a fifth season – but not everyone’s happy The crownthe portrayal of Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family, and the streaming giant has taken notice.

Just days after a former UK prime minister released a statement about his portrayal on the show, British actor Dame Judi Dench penned a letter expressing his displeasure with the hit show.

As The crown progresses in its timeline, its story will become increasingly familiar – perhaps even personal – to those who lived through the events it depicts, opening it up to new criticism.

Season 5 will be the first time the show airs following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September. Netflix has added a disclaimer to the YouTube description of its new trailer to inform viewers that the show is fictional.

“Based on real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign,” the description reads. The new season airs on Netflix Canada starting November 9.

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana face off in season 5 of The crown:

Dench’s letter, which was published by British news site The Times, called the series “grossly unfair” and “damaging” for its treatment of the royal family.

“The closer the drama gets to our time, the more it seems willing to freely blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism,” the 87-year-old actor wrote.

Former UK Prime Minister calls series ‘malicious fiction’

Dench’s letter follows a statement by a former British Prime Minister, Sir John Major, who held the post from 1990 to 1997. The politician issued a statement criticizing The crownwhich in Season 5 will feature actor Jonny Lee Miller playing a version of Major.

Major made the statement after several storylines were rumored to feature conversations between him and then-Prince Charles, including a scene in which the two plotted to have Queen Elizabeth abdicate from the throne.

“Sir John did not co-operate – in any way – with The crown. Nor have they approached him to fact-check script material for this or any other series,” a statement from his rep said.

Major is not the first prime minister to be portrayed on the show. Sir Winston Churchill was played by John Lithgow and Harold Wilson by Jason Watkins, in their dealings with the royal family.

The alleged storylines are “nothing but harmful and malicious fiction” designed to create “entirely false dramatic impact,” Major’s rep added.

In response, Netflix released a statement defending the show’s integrity.

“The crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series Five is a fictional dramatization, imagining what might have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the Royal Family – a decade that has been scrutinized and well documented by journalists, biographers and historians,” the statement read. .

Netflix has rejected calls for a disclaimer in the past. In 2020, former UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden urged the streamer to add a disclaimer to The crown ahead of its fourth season.

“We have always presented The Crown as a drama…As a result, we have no intention – and see no need – to add a disclaimer,” read a statement from Netflix.

High-profile moments from the royal family’s past

As the show’s timeline moves into the 1990s, it could look at the most high-profile moments in the Royal Family’s history, including the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and the death of the Princess. Diana.

Elizabeth Debicki, who will play Diana, said in an Oct. 18 interview that the series — and the tragedies it portrays — are carefully written and carefully thought out.

“The amount of research, care, conversation and dialogue that happens, from the viewer’s perspective, something you’ll probably never notice, is just immense,” the actor said.

Although she acknowledged Netflix’s trailer disclaimer, Dench said she was concerned that viewers would accept the show’s depiction of events as fact, especially those who tuned in for a while. the stranger.

In her letter, she said the streamer should consider adding a disclaimer at the start of each episode, “for the sake of a family and nation so recently bereaved” and “as a mark of respect to a sovereign who has served his people so conscientiously”. for 70 years.”

It would preserve the streaming giant’s reputation with its UK audience, she said.