The Crown's creators discuss making the hit Netflix series
The creators of Netflix's The Crown explain why sometimes its necessary to forsake accuracy, but never truth, in a drama based on real events
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.
Meet the location manager for the National Trust
The film team liaises between National Trust properties and film and TV location managers on projects ranging from daytime shows to big-budget dramas.
They have assisted on several upcoming series including Poldark series 5, The Crown series 3, new Netflix show Watchmen and the BBC’s latest adaptation of A Christmas Carol, starring Tom Hardy, plus the Downton Abbey film.
Production Focus: Who Do You Think You Are
Graham, who founded the programme’s producer Wall to Wall, came up with the idea for a genealogy series in which famous faces discover the truth about their ancestors – but it took a decade and a half for a commissioner to bite.
“This show is 15 years old this year but this year is also the 30th anniversary of me trying to sell it to the BBC,” he said.
Making The Crown: From script to screen
Taking a script and bringing it to life on screen is no easy feat – and when the story is based on the most famous family in the world, the task carries huge responsibility.
“We’re not just recreating history,” said The Crown’s production designer Martin Childs. “It’s our own version of the world – it’s not a documentary. We try and find the mood and tone of our version of it,” added costume designer Jane Petrie.
Watch videos from the RTS Programme Awards 2018
Winners of the RTS Programme Awards 2018 announced
The RTS Programme Awards, chaired by Wayne Garvie, honours excellence across all genres of television programming and recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as the programmes themselves.
The BBC scooped 17 awards for its programmes and talent, and also won the coveted RTS Channel of the Year award.
The Crown: From Storyboard to Screen
Watch the highlights from RTS Futures The Crown: From Storyboard to Screen event. Director Ben Caron, Production Designer Martin Childs, Costume Designer Jane Petrie, Editor Pia Di Ciaula and VFX Supervisor Ben Turner revealed how they brought the story of the Royals to life on screen at an event chaired by Toby Earles.
The Crown: From Storyboard to Screen
Taking any script and bringing the story to life on screen is no easy feat, and when the story is based on the most famous family in the world, the task carries an elevated sense of responsibility.
“We’re not just recreating history,” said The Crown's production designer Martin Childs.
“It’s our own version of the world – it’s not a documentary. We try and find the mood and tone of our version of it,” added costume designer Jane Petrie.
The Crown sets the bar for British drama
Part royal soap, part British political lesson, The Crown is all first-rate drama. To mark the release of its second season on Netflix, a packed RTS pre-Christmas event at the House of Commons heard creator and writer Peter Morgan, executive producer Suzanne Mackie and director Philippa Lowthorpe discuss how they made the award-winning series.
Season 2 of The Crown, produced by UK indie Left Bank Pictures, begins with the Suez crisis in 1956 and ends with the Profumo affair in 1963.