ADVERTISEMENT

Judi Dench Claims The Crown Is ‘Cruelly Unfair,’ and Calls for Disclaimer to Be Made at the Start of Episodes

The crown is not a royal concern when it comes to Dame Judi Dench. In, a strongly worded open letter to The Times in Britain, the Oscar-winning actress attacks the Netflix series’ “crude sensationalism” and “inaccurate” account of history.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dench’s letter follows John Major, former Prime Minister. He refers to a scene in the fifth season that depicts Prince Charles ( Dominic West), lobbying the PM for his mother’s abdication. Dench wrote that Sir John Major was not the only one concerned about the fact that the latest series The Crown will present a misleading and hurtful account history. “Indeed the drama is more closely related to current times than historical accuracy, and it seems to be willing to blur the line between crude sensationalism and historical accuracy.”

Diana’s 1985
ADVERTISEMENT

Dench called for Netflix to add a disclaimer at the start of each episode, as she fears that viewers will interpret the show’s portrayal of events as historical fact rather than a dramatization. She said that while many viewers will recognize The Crown as the brilliant, but fictionalized account of events it is, I am afraid that some viewers, especially overseas, might take its version of history to be wholly true.” This is both unfair to the individuals and harmful to the institution they represent.

The actress specifically criticized the abdication scene and the notion that Queen Elizabeth II’s parenting was so poor as to warrant jail time.

Dench said, “No one is more committed to artistic freedom than me, but this cannot be ignored.” “Despite publicly stating The Crown is a fictionalized drama this week, the program makers have refused to include a disclaimer at each episode’s start.

Next >>

ADVERTISEMENT