Dame Judi Dench Reveals Peter Morgan’s Disappointment Over The Crown Criticism
Dame Judi Dench details a tense exchange with The Crown creator Peter Morgan after she publicly demanded a historical disclaimer for the Netflix drama.
POLICY WIRE — London, United Kingdom — Dame Judi Dench has disclosed that she received a letter expressing disappointment from Peter Morgan, the creator of the hit series The Crown, following her public critique of the show.
In October 2022, the 91-year-old actress penned a letter to The Times shortly after the fifth season debuted. She argued that the production blurred the lines between historical fact and crude sensationalism, urging the streaming platform to include a disclaimer clarifying that the narrative was not strictly factual.
In her upcoming memoir, titled Is it Too Late to Make a Run for It?, Dench recounts the correspondence she received from Morgan. She noted that he reached out to convey his dissatisfaction with her remarks, adding that she felt like one of his own peers turning against him.
Dench maintained that she felt compelled to speak out, describing the show’s approach as iniquitous and insensitive toward the late Queen, who had passed away only a short time before. She clarified that her grievance was directed at Netflix for refusing to add a disclaimer, similar to the one used for her 2013 film Philomena, rather than at the cast or the drama itself.
The actress emphasized that while creators may have more creative freedom when depicting historical figures who are long deceased, there is a greater responsibility when representing living individuals. She argued that without a disclaimer, the series presented invented conversations as if they were established facts.
Dench’s 2022 intervention aligned with broader criticism, including objections from former Prime Minister Sir John Major. Major famously labeled a scene depicting a plot to oust Queen Elizabeth II as a barrel-load of malicious nonsense, noting that he was never consulted for fact-checking.
In response to such criticisms, a spokesperson for the series maintained that The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. The representative described the fifth season as a fictional dramatization of events that occurred behind closed doors, which had already been extensively documented by historians and journalists.
The Crown concluded its run following the release of its sixth series in 2023.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
