The Crown chronicles the Queen’s life over several decades, beginning in the late 1940s before her father, King George VI, died and ascended the throne. The award-winning series, which premiered in 2016, has garnered massive viewership and critical acclaim for Netflix. Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, ending a historic 70-year reign. Her death has caused emotional reactions in the UK and around the world. Britain has declared 10 days of mourning and the Queen’s coffin was due to lie in London from Wednesday to Monday, when her funeral will take place. Between September 9 and 11, viewing figures for The Crown increased by more than 800% in the UK compared to the previous Friday to Sunday period, according to figures from Whip Media. In the US, viewership more than quadrupled during that time frame, while in France The Crown had more than three times as many viewers as the previous weekend. Globally, viewership was almost four times higher last weekend than the previous weekend. At the time of writing, The Crown was among the top ten TV shows on Netflix Australia. Following the news of the Queen’s death, Netflix last week confirmed it would halt production on the fifth season of The Crown, which was to portray the royal family until the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the fifth season of the hit series is set to premiere in November and will depict the early to mid 1990s. Imelda Staunton will take over the role of the Queen, previously played by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman. The series won 11 Emmys in 2021, including Outstanding Drama Series. It won two Emmys in 2020, five in 2018 and three in 2017. The critically-acclaimed series was originally set to end after its fifth series, but a sixth has now been announced. Set to cover the events of the 21st century, it has cast three newcomers in key roles: Meg Bellamy, 19, former head at St Crispin’s School in Wokingham, Berkshire, was chosen to play Kate Middleton after submitting a self-contained audition. following a casting call made on social media. Also making their screen debuts will be Ed McVey, 21, and Rufus Kampa, 16, who will both play young versions of the Princess of Wales’ now-husband Prince William. This article was amended on 13 September 2022. An earlier version said that the fifth season of The Crown was to be its last. it will actually run for a sixth season.
