Dame Judi Dench has recalled receiving a “disappointed” letter from the creator of The Crown over her criticism of the historical drama.
In October 2022, in the wake of the release of the show’s fifth season, the esteemed actor wrote a letter to The Times in which she called for a disclaimer to be added to the hugely popular series to make clear to viewers that the show is not historically accurate.
In it, the 91-year-old said that the series, created by the British playwright Peter Morgan, “seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism” the closer the drama came to the present day.
In her soon-to-be-released memoir Is it Too Late to Make a Run for It?, a lively and engaging account of the various triumphs and tribulations of her six-decade career, Dench said that Morgan wrote to her following the publication of her letter.
“[He] wrote to tell me how disappointed he was in my remarks,” said Dench. “And I’m sure some of the actors involved will have agreed with him, because it’s like one of your own turning on you, isn’t it?”
Dench continued: “But I had to say something. I thought it was iniquisitous, and also insensitive towards the late Queen, who had only recently died.”
The Oscar-winning star of Shakespeare in Love made clear that her issue was not with the “drama itself or the people involved” but with Netflix over its refusal to add a disclaimer “as we did for Philomena: ‘Based on a true story.’”
In the 2013 film, Dench starred as Philomena Lee, an Irish woman who spent 50 years searching for the son who was forcibly taken from her by the Catholic Church in the 1950s. While the core narrative is real, based on a 2009 book by journalist Martin Sixsmith, the filmmakers took certain liberties.
Speaking about The Crown, Dench noted: “Yes, if you’re depicting someone long dead, you probably have a bit more latitude, but when you’re representing people who are still alive you have a responsibility.
“Without a disclaimer, the drama seemed to be presenting invented conversations as fact, blurring the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism.”
Dench’s 2022 letter came amid wider criticism from other figures, including former prime minister Sir John Major, who publicly spoke out against the show’s inaccuracies.
Major called one particular scene, which apparently portrays a plot to oust Elizabeth II, a “barrel-load of malicious nonsense”.
The former PM’s office released a statement, stating: “Sir John has not cooperated in any way with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to factcheck any script material in this or any other series.
“As you will know, discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private and – for Sir John – will always remain so. But not one of the scenes you depict are accurate in any way whatsoever. They are fiction, pure and simple.”
In response to his comments, a spokesperson for the series said: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.
“Series five is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”
The Crown came to an end following its sixth series in 2023.
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