The opening episode of Black Mirror’s seventh series, Common People, is described by its director, Ally Pankiw, as a “couch sitter”. Rather than the mindless entertainment served up to a couch potato, a couch sitter delivers a gut punch so devastating that the viewer is forced to sit and take stock of their life after the closing credits.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that once a decade Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice gets a remake. From BBC’s 1995 mini-series to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen’s 1813 novel has been reimagined countless times.
“We think we all know Diana’s story, but I always ask the question: what must it have been like for any person going through that experience – what she was thrown into at such a young age?” said Benjamin Caron, the director of the Fairytale episode of The Crown.
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education) will play Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, while Emma Corrin (Pennyworth) will play Princess Diana.
The fourth series is set to cover Thatcher’s term and her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman), as well as the courtship between Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Lady Diana Spencer and their wedding in 1981 where she becomes Princess.
Netflix has also released images of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (Tobias Menzies), and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.
A short trailer accompanied the announcement, in which Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II declares: “Something as important as the monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail.”
The trailer also introduced the characters of Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana, played by Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin.
The coming series will follow the arrival of Thatcher as Prime Minister and Diana’s turbulent relationship with Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor).
