Judi Dench wrote an open letter to Times UK Criticizing Netflix’s “The Crown” for being “cruelly unfair” in its portrayal of the British royal family. The Academy Award winner emphasized that she supports artistic freedom, so she urges Netflix to add a disclaimer to every episode assuring viewers that the show is a fictional account of historical events.
“The closer the drama is to our present time,” says Dench, “the freer it seems to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude thriller.”
Dench’s speech was released ahead of the release of Season 5 of “The Crown” on Netflix in November. New episodes cover some of the royal family’s most turbulent years of the ’90s, including the bitter divorce between Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki).
“Given some seemingly hurtful suggestions in the new series – that King Charles conspired his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested that his mother’s paternity was so deficient that she might have deserved a prison sentence – that’s cruelly unfair to individuals and damage to the institution which they represent,” Dench writes. “No one believes in artistic freedom more than I do, but this cannot go unchallenged.”
Dench continues, “Despite declaring publicly this week that ‘The Crown’ has always been a ‘fantasy drama,’ the show’s creators have resisted all calls for them to carry a disclaimer at the beginning of every episode. It’s time for Netflix to reconsider — for the sake of the family.” and a nation recently bereaved, as a sign of respect for a sovereign who has faithfully served his people for 70 years, and to preserve his reputation in the eyes of the British subscribers.”
Although Netflix does not include a disclaimer for episodes of “The Crown,” it has long maintained that the series is “presented as a drama based on historical events.” In November 2020, British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden Talk about the need Netflix is adding a disclaimer to the series because it is a work of fiction. The series was airing its fourth season at the time.
“It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction that, as with other TV productions, Netflix should be pretty straightforward at first, it’s just the thing,” Dowden said at the time. “Without this, I fear that a generation of viewers who have not lived through these events might mistake fiction for fact.”
Netflix responded by refusing to add the disclaimer, with the spokesperson issuing the following statement: “We’ve always presented The Crown as a drama – and have full confidence that our members understand that it is a work of fiction based heavily on historical events. As a result, we have no plans – nor See no need – to add a disclaimer.”
Emma Corinne, who co-founded Princess Diana on The Crown, agreed with Netflix saying diverseIt’s very clearly a dramatic version of events. This is fictitious in the same way that people in ‘Succession’ don’t mistake it for what actually happened with the Murdoch family. As I understand it [the request] She comes from a place that is sensitive and protective of the royal family and Diana.”
Season 5 of “The Crown” begins November 9 on Netflix.
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