The Crown

Casting announced for Princess Diana and Prince Philip in the final two series of The Crown

Debicki will take over the role from Emma Corrin, who will star as Princess Diana in the upcoming fourth series due later this autumn.

Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones) has also been announced to take over from Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip.

Pryce and Debicki will join the cast confirmed for series five and six including Imelda Staunton (A Confession), who will play Queen Elizabeth, and Lesley Manville (Mum) as Princess Margaret.

Ear Candy: Because I Watched...

Bobby Berk (Credit: Bobby Berk)

Whether it’s the spike in sales of canned Marks & Spencer gin and tonic or Google searches of priests – both inspired by season two of Fleabag – never underestimate TV’s power to influence people’s behaviour. Yet, sometimes, it is the smallest detail of a TV series that can effect a change in someone’s life.

Joining Netflix’s host of original podcasts, storytelling series Because I Watched looks back through the screen of the latest binge-watch and into the lives of viewers at home.

Imelda Staunton set to play the Queen in fifth and final series of The Crown

Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies (Credit: Netflix)

Morgan had originally planned for six series of the much-loved drama, but has decided that the fifth series “is the perfect time and place to stop”.

Morgan thanked Netflix and Sony for supporting his decision and described Staunton as an “astonishing talent” and a “fantastic successor”.

Staunton will be the final actor to play the Queen after predecessors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, taking the series into the 21st Century.

The Crown first aired in 2016 and with its big budget production spend, was hailed as a game-changing drama for Netflix.

Memorable TV performances of the decade

(credit: BBC/Luke Varley/Two Brothers/AMC/ITV)

Series binging over weekly releases has become the new norm, and brand new, high-quality TV content seems to be in endless supply.

The competition for viewers’ attention has intensified tenfold, and the leading broadcasters have risen to the challenge.

At the beginning of a new decade, we look back at some of the most memorable performances and series of the last ten years.

 

BBC One announces cast for Windrush scandal drama

Patrick Robinson and Nadine Marshall (Credit: BBC)

Based on a first-hand account of the Windrush scandal in 2016, the drama follows Anthony Bryan (Robinson) who is classed as an illegal immigrant despite living in the UK for over 50 years.

After deciding to visit his mother in Jamaica, Bryan is shocked to discover that there are no records of him at the Passport Office, requiring him to prove his citizenship to the Immigration Office.

Bryan is later forced to leave his job without the ability to claim benefits and is forcibly removed from his home when he is detained as an illegal immigrant.

Making professional productions on the go

Deirdre Mulcahy at the University of Westminster (Credit: RTS London/Phil Barnes)

The freelance producer and trainer gave a demonstration of the smartphone’s filming capability at an RTS London event in early November.

“No matter how big the tool, it comes down to the person who is actually using [it],” said Mulcahy. “Storytelling is about where the focus is – and understanding how you shoot.”

Watch the trailer for The Crown’s third series

Olivia Colman as HRM Queen Elizabeth II (Credit: Sophie Mutevelian)

The series takes place during a rapidly changing Britain that faces a failing financial climate and the rise of political agendas against royalism.

The new trailer opens with The Queen reflecting on her reign and the inner tensions within the Royal family as they endure personal struggles in service of their subjects.

RTS London reflect on this year's RTS Cambridge Convention

Reed Hastings and Kirsty Wark (Credit: RTS/Richard Kendal)

The late-September event was hosted by the University of Westminster, and chaired by media producer and consultant Aradhna Tayal. It featured Bloomberg media reporter Joe Mayes, London Centre Chair Phil Barnes and James Cordell, a London committee member and first-time attendee at the convention.

The panel noted that one of the key themes throughout was the rise of streaming and whether the already established subscription video on demand (SVoD) companies – with more set to enter the market – will dominate the UK broadcast industry.

Cast announced for new Sky Atlantic drama I Hate Suzie

Daniel Ings, Leila Farzad and Nathaniel Martello-White (Credit: Sky)

I Hate Suzie follows Suzie Pickles (Piper), a celebrity whose career is put in jeopardy when she becomes the victim of a hacking scandal that causes a compromising photo of herself to be leaked.

The eight-part series follows Suzie’s excruciating journey to hold her life together alongside her best friend and manager Naomi (Farzad), as she struggles to keep her career afloat and her marriage to her husband, Cob (Ings), begins to hang by a thread.

First look at Olivia Colman in The Crown series three

Olivia Coleman and Tobias Mezies in The Crown (Credit: Netflix/Sophie Mutevelian)

The new series will see Olivia Colman and Tobias Mezies take over the reins from Claire Foy and Matt Smith as The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The upcoming series will cover The Queen’s reign from 1964 up to 1977 and see the beginning of Prince Edward’s life, the marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and the celebrations of The Queen’s Silver Jubilee.