‘Controversy’ surrounding The Crown is making it ‘must-watch TV for Netflix’ says brand expert

Controversy surrounding The Crown’s new series is a ‘positive’ thing for Netflix, a brand and pop culture expert has said after the release of the show’s explosive trailer.

The comments come as series five, which will air on Netflix from November 9, has come under criticism from a number of sources since the trailer’s release, with a royal biographer calling the program “deliberately offensive.”

Strong focus on the Fallout between Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) as played by Dominic West, the new series will show some lows for the royal family spanning the 1990s.

Among them are the breakup of Charles and Diana’s marriage, the controversial Panorama interview of the late royal and the infamous ‘tampongate’ telephone conversation between the king and queen consort.

But while some loved the show, including William Shawcross, the Queen Mother’s official biographer, who called the series “abominable” and “deliberately hurtful,” brand and pop culture expert Nick Ede said this controversy will serve him well. .

Among the controversial storylines, the royal drama will portray the collapse of Charles and Diana’s marriage (Photo: Elizabeth Debicki as Diana)

Another low point in the series is the Windsor Castle fire in 1992, just one of the things that went wrong during the Queen’s ‘annus horibilis’.

He told FEMAIL: “The controversy and publicity surrounding the new season of The Crown can only be positive for Netflix.

“The Crown has become a must-watch TV and one of the biggest streamer shows. This publicity will make the brand stand out even more and all eyes will be on it when it is released.”

Netflix lost subscribers in the first two quarters of the year, prompting some questions about its long-term viability.

While recent reports show the streaming service is starting to gain subscribers, growing at 2.4 million in the third quarter, its growth is still slower than it was at the start of the pandemic.

According to Nick Ede, publicity around The Crown, one of the streaming service’s most notable shows, could further grow the customer base.

He said: “Netflix needs these key moments to keep gaining subscribers and now that the crown feels even more relevant, more and more people will want to watch it.

“The crown is always released in the fourth quarter of the year, so it’s not about cashing in, it’s about planning. It would always be released and would always be controversial.

Netflix is ​​furious over plans to dramatize Princess Diana’s final moments before her tragic death in Paris in the new season of The Crown (Photo: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown, season five)

One of the most controversial aspects of the series is how it will tackle Diana’s death, with Netflix scrutinized on the decision to recreate Princess Diana’s last days, shooting some scenes in Paris, where she died.

According to The suneven crew members are concerned about the scenes depicting the lead-up to Diana’s death, with one reportedly saying, “It feels like a line is being crossed.”

Netflix insists Diana’s death, in a car accident in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in central Paris, will not be recreated in the new series.

But a regular source reportedly told The Sun: “To go back to Paris and turn Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable.

Imelda Staunton made her debut as a stern-looking queen in the middle of her annus horribilis in the trailer for The Crown series 5 recently released by Netflix

Meanwhile, another storyline with show King Charles’ relationship with the Queen Consort (played by Olivia Williams)

The show always tried to present a fictionalized version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible. But lately, as things get closer and closer to the present, it’s been harder to find that balance.”

Meanwhile, a production source has said the media’s outcry over inaccuracies – and the lack of sensitivity in broadcasting the series so close to the Queen’s death – is “scareing” the broadcaster.

The source said: “The show was never about sensationalism, but it’s always been a drama. For the first few years it seemed like everyone was happy to tolerate it.’

Created and written by Peter Morgan, The Crown has been a hit for Netflix since it was first released in 2016.

But the source revealed that Morgan was getting more and more “uncomfortable” as The Crown series got closer to the present.

They said, ‘The truth is that it was easier to write the earlier series because first of all there is a wealth of historical documentation, plus a consensus on more of what happened, and you can be more dramatic and people don’t find it hurtful .

Showmaker Peter Morgan has reportedly become increasingly uncomfortable as the drama approaches the present time (Picture: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown, season five)

“Peter is always trying to find out the truth. There are always piles and piles of research.

“But 50 years ago, people are looser about Princess Margaret than John Major was in 1991.

“Peter is well aware of it and it’s a struggle. He insisted on announcing that series five would be its last, even though Netflix wouldn’t announce it. It didn’t want to kill the golden goose.

“Then, a few months later, he changed his mind and said he was writing series six. But this will be it. He does not proceed to the present. It’s uncomfortable enough already.’

The source added: “He is quite traumatized by the criticism. He has done nothing to be sensational. The show would be a different show if he wanted the sensational.’