The Crown

The Crown: Deconstructing the Coronation

The lavish ten-part Netflix series became another outstanding triumph for writer Peter Morgan and a distinguished team . Critics noted a “startling attention to detail in everything from costumes to sets” and thought it hard to see how it could be better.

The show set out to tell the inside story of the most famous addresses in the world, Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, and it did just that, exploring the intrigues, love lives and machinations of post-war Britain.

Recollections may differ

If four series of lavish production and high-stakes storylines about the upper echelons of the aristocracy weren’t enough to whet appetites for series five of The Crown, the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II will have piqued yet more interest in Netflix’s flagship show.

In the days following the monarch’s death, The Crown’s audience rose more than 800% in the UK, according to data analytics firm Whip Media. This is a reminder, if one were needed, of the strong emotional connection many viewers feel to the British Royal Family.

Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki star in first-look photos of The Crown series 5

Imelda Staunton is succeeding Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, and will be presiding over what was a turbulent period for the family.

On her accession, Staunton told Tulum: "What has been nice, and I hope I don’t prove them wrong, is people saying, ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing her as the queen.' So, let’s just hope that works out for them, because I’ve done it. Nothing I can do about it now!"

Netflix releases first look at Imelda Staunton as the Queen in The Crown

(credit: Netflix)

Staunton will take over the role from Olivia Colman, with the fifth series expected to cover the monarch’s reign in the 1990s and early 2000s, including the divorce of Prince Charles from Princess Diana and the death of the princess in 1997.

The role of Prince Phillip will pass from Tobias Menzies (This Way Up) to Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones), while Elizabeth Debicki (The Night Manager) will take on the role of Princess Diana from Emma Corrin.

The future of online viewing measurement

After years of refusal by the global streaming companies to share their viewing data, new light will soon be shed on the performance of Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ – and PSB streaming services such as All 4 and BBC iPlayer – by the industry ratings body Barb.

From the late summer, Barb expects to publish regular viewing figures for SVoD services on the same basis as those for broadcast television. This will allow meaningful comparisons to be made for the first time.

Hidden Figures: Understanding TV Audiences in the On-Demand Age

Lucy Bristowe, Sky Media’s Director of Insight and Research, Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, Sarah Rose, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, ViacomCBS, UK, and Justin Sampson, CEO, BARB, discuss why the TV sector needs to measure on-demand audiences and how BARB is rising to the challenge with its reporting of audiences for these services. Plus, some previously unreported figures on series four of The Crown are revealed by BARB.

The best period dramas to watch after Bridgerton

Credit: Netflix and BBC iPlayer

Bridgerton 

Netflix 

In regency England appearances are everything and for the powerful Bridgerton family they face the constant battle between their duty and desires.

Inspired by the Julia Quinn novels, wealth, lust, betrayal and honour are navigated by those seeking to stay ahead in an English society filled with secrets and gossip.