The Crown renewed for sixth season

LONDON • Netflix announced on Thursday that The Crown, its hit drama about the reign of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, would film a sixth and final season, months after saying the series would come to a close with its fifth season.

Peter Morgan, writer and creator of The Crown (2016 to present), said the possibility of a reversal had been raised during the show's planning process.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story, we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," he said in a statement.

"To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present day - it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

In January, he said the show's fifth season was the "perfect time and place to stop" and that Netflix and Sony supported him in the decision.

The show debuted in 2016, with actress Claire Foy playing a young, newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons, and focused on the early years of the monarch's reign and her family's drama during those years.

In November last year, Netflix released the third season, starring actress Olivia Colman as the Queen in the 1960s and 1970s.

The season follows her as she navigates Britain's political and economic issues, as well as problems with family members, including her two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

A release date has not yet been announced for the fourth season, which will again feature Colman as the Queen and cover her reign through Mrs Margaret Thatcher's premiership and Prince Charles' relationship with Princess Diana.

Colman will pass the crown to actress Imelda Staunton for the fifth season.

The streaming service announced last week that in the fifth instalment, actress Lesley Manville would take over the role of Princess Margaret, who was played in the first two seasons by Vanessa Kirby, and by Helena Bonham Carter in the third and fourth.

"We can't wait for audiences to see the upcoming fourth season," said Ms Cindy Holland, vice-president of original content for Netflix, "and we're proud to support Peter's vision and the phenomenal cast and crew for a sixth and final season."

She said in a statement the show was "raising the bar" for each new season.

With its high-profile cast, precise period detail and gilded settings, The Crown has drawn steep bills.

It has cost Netflix nearly US$150 million (S$209 million), about twice as much as the royal family costs British taxpayers each year.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 11, 2020, with the headline The Crown renewed for sixth season. Subscribe