Netflix is accused of ‘fudging’ after it was revealed streaming giant will finally tell The Crown viewers that it is a fictional drama – but WILL NOT put warning at start of every episode
Netflix is finally set to warn viewers of The Crown that the series is a fictionalised drama – but still refuses to put the disclaimer at the start of every episode.
Instead the US streaming giant plans to place a ‘fiction warning’ on the home page where viewers click to play episodes, which critics last night blasted as a fudge.
Netflix has been under growing pressure to introduce a disclaimer for The Crown amid fury over its faked storylines based on the Royals.
The Mail on Sunday previously revealed the fury of former Prime Minister John Major, who called the big-budget drama ‘malicious nonsense’ over bogus scenes in the latest series in which Prince Charles plots to force his mother the Queen to abdicate the throne. Friends of King Charles III called for a boycott over the scenes.
Sir Tony Blair also revealed his anger over the show yesterday, with a spokesman calling The Crown ‘complete and utter rubbish’ over its fake storylines.
Netflix has resisted calls for a disclaimer on episodes but recently included one on a trailer for the latest series, which is released on Wednesday.
Netflix has been under growing pressure to introduce a disclaimer for The Crown amid fury over its faked storylines based on the Royals
Netflix will place a notice that The Crown is a ‘fictionalised dramatization inspired by real events’ but the warning will be buried on The Crown’s home page rather than stated at the start or end of episode as demanded by the show’s critics.
Last night, it emerged Netflix will place a notice that The Crown is a ‘fictionalised dramatization inspired by real events’.
But the warning will be buried on The Crown’s home page rather than stated at the start or end of episode as demanded by the show’s critics.
Royal expert Thomas Blaikie said: ‘Netflix is trying to have its cake and eat it too. If it is going to finally put a disclaimer on, it should be at the start of every episode. As it gets nearer to the present day, it becomes more concerning when the series departs dramatically from what actually happened.’
David Mellor, a cabinet minister under Major, said: ‘The reality is that Netflix does not want people to think this is a total fabrication. They want people to watch it on the basis that there’s a lot of truth in the story so anything that draws attention to the viewer that this is a pack of lies is not in their own best interest.
‘By putting a disclaimer tucked away on the Netflix page they can claim that they are being clear to people that this is fictionalised when really they are not being clear at all.’
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith said: ‘They should put a big warning right at the beginning in black and white stating that it is a fictionalised drama. Doing anything other than that is totally disingenuous.’
The Mail on Sunday previously revealed the fury of former Prime Minister John Major (centre), who called the big-budget drama ‘malicious nonsense’ over bogus scenes in the latest series in which Prince Charles (right) plots to force his mother the Queen to abdicate the throne. Sir Tony Blair (left) also revealed his anger over the show yesterday
Palace insiders disputed claims that King Charles had given his blessing to actor Dominic West (pictured), who plays a young Prince Charles in the new series of The Crown
Meanwhile, palace insiders disputed claims that King Charles had given his blessing to actor Dominic West, who plays a young Prince Charles in the new series of The Crown.
West told the Radio Times that, after landing the role with the Netflix programme, he wrote to the palace offering to resign from his position as a charity ambassador for The Prince’s Trust. West claimed he received a reply stating: ‘You do what you like, you’re an actor. It’s nothing to do with us.’
However, palace insiders said ‘recollections may vary’. They said the actor did indeed write to the King’s office and received a letter back from a senior aide.
But they said the reply did not offer any indication that the King approved of West’s decision to take the role.
A Palace source said: ‘By relaying this anecdote about private correspondence, the implication is that His Majesty’s office gave tacit agreement or condoned the programme in some way. This is not the case.’
Buckingham Palace and the Prince’s Trust declined to comment.
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