Fictional Netflix Show Is Not Going to Remind You It's Fictional
Though The Crown is based on true events in British royal history, it is still, ultimately, a work of fiction. And despite complaints, Netflix confirmed it will not add a disclosure explaining that the series is fictionalized.
"We have always presented The Crown as a drama—and we have every confidence our members understand it's a work of fiction that's broadly based on historical events," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety. "As a result we have no plans—and see no need—to add a disclaimer."
The statement comes after U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said such a disclosure was necessary for The Crown. "Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact," he told The Mail on Sunday.
Dowden spoke out following the release of the show's fourth season, which introduced Princess Diana's storyline—she's played by newcomer Emma Corrin—as she married Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor), discovered his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (Emerald Fennell), and became a public icon. The narrative sparked, or revived, passionate feelings from the audience, which they unleashed on Twitter.
Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret in the series, also believes the show has a "responsibility" to remind its viewers that it is fictionalized. "It is dramatized," she said on The Crown official podcast. "I do feel very strongly, because I think we have a moral responsibility to say, 'Hang on guys, this is not—it's not a drama-doc, we're making a drama. And they are two different entities.'"
Show creator Peter Morgan has not directly addressed the discussion on a possible fiction disclosure tag, but he has admitted to fabricating certain scenes. For example, in Season 4, he said he "made up" the moment where Lord Mountbatten wrote a letter scolding Charles about his relationship with Camilla, as record of that letter doesn't exist.
"We will never know if it was put into a letter, and we will never know if Charles got that letter before or after Mountbatten's death, but in this particular drama, this is how I decided to deal with it," he said on The Crown's official podcast.
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