The crown is apparently intended to reflect what is now known about the circumstances that led to the Panorama interview with Princess Diana and how she was treated.
The events surrounding the 1995 interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir – which made headlines around the world as the Princess spoke openly about her marriage to Prince Charles – will be dramatized in the fifth series of the hit show.
Diana’s meeting with Bashir saw the royal say ‘there were three of us in this wedding so it was a bit crowded’ and is one of the BBC’s most famous interviews.
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However, last year a report by Lord Dyson concluded that the BBC covered up the journalist’s ‘misleading behaviour’ to secure the interview and this week BBC boss Tim Davie said they would not would never show it again after the “shocking” way it was obtained. enlighten.
The interview revelations emerged as the writers worked on the fifth series of Netflix’s hit royal drama, which will see Elizabeth Debicki play Princess Diana and star Dominic West as Charles.
They then incorporated the new information into the script.
The PA news agency quoted a source as saying, “Season five of The crown will dramatize the events surrounding the panorama iinterview, given the pivotal role he played during the period covered by the new series.
“It will reflect what we know now about how the interview was obtained and how Diana was treated.”
Speaking earlier this week, BBC Director General Davie said: “Now that we know the shocking way the interview was obtained, I have decided that the BBC will never broadcast the show again. nor will we license it in whole or in part to other broadcasters.
“This of course remains part of the historical record and there may be occasions in the future where it will be justified for the BBC to use short extracts for journalistic purposes, but these will be rare and will need to be agreed to executive committee level and in the full context of what we now know about how the interview was obtained.”
He urged others to “exercise similar restraint”.
The first series of The crown came out in 2016 and it became a huge hit.
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It is expected to return with its fifth series in November.
Additional AP reports.
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