Both the British government and Princess Diana’s brother want everyone, but especially us fast food-loving Americans (the Burger King is the only royal for me), to know that Netflix’s The Crown is not real. “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” said United Kingdom culture secretary Oliver Dowden, who also politely asked (because, British) Netflix to put a “fiction” disclaimer on the series. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
The debate has even gone to Parliament:
Culture minister John Whittingdale told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that it “does no harm” for Netflix to make explicit to subscribers that The Crown, although pegged to real events, is [creator] Peter Morgan’s “speculation or imagination as to what might have happened.” … Ultimately, the UK government has no power to compel Netflix to make a change, partly because the United States streamer is regulated in the Netherlands.
Emma Corin, who plays Princess Diana in season four, thinks it’s unnecessary.
“It is very clearly a dramatized version of events,” she told The Big Ticket podcast. “This is fictitious in the same way people don’t mistake Succession for what actually happened with the Murdochs.” That being said, Corrin understands that the request “comes from a place of sensitivity and protectiveness of the royal family and Diana.” While I think the “fiction” disclaimer is unnecessary for The Crown, I hope HBO adds one for Succession.
“This is fiction, and f*ck off if you think it’s real.”
(Via Variety)
