History Trivia / TheCrown2016

** Creator/JohnLithgow pulls off a memorable performance as UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill in spite of his long face and towering height while playing the 5'6 (167cm) and famously round-faced Churchill.

** Creator/JohnLithgow pulls off a memorable performance as UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill in spite of his long face and towering height while playing the 5'6 and famously round-faced Churchill.

** Creator/DominicWest's Charles also manages to avoid the TallDarkAndHandsome archetype that his very atractive actor would normally lend to the character, thanks to a performance filled with awkward mannerisms and an overall grimacing, somewhat tortured demeanor.

** Purportedly UsefulNotes/LizTruss was hopeful to oneday see Creator/EmmaThompson portray her.

** The fourth season episode, "48:1" has Claire Foy return to portray a 21-year old Elizabeth making her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUlToHE_27U&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9 birthday speech]] to the Commonwealth. She returns again in the Season 5 premiere to christen the HMY Britannia in a 1953 newsreel.

** UsefulNotes/JohnMajor condemned his depiction in some scenes of Series 5 in a statement calling it a "barrel-load of nonsense" and "damaging and malicious fiction". He was particularly aggrieved by a scene in which Prince Charles tries to get Major's support for persuading the Queen to AbdicateTheThrone [[note]] in RealLife, the newspaper article and opinion poll they're discussing was actually ''much'' less incendiary than depicted, and was actually published ''before Major even became Prime Minister'' [[/note]], and others where he and his wife Norma discuss the Royal Family in a disparaging manner. UsefulNotes/TonyBlair also didn't like the show's portrayal of him, calling it "complete and utter rubbish". It's worth noting that they are (so far, as of Series 5) the only still-living British [=PMs=] to be depicted in ''The Crown'', all of their predecessors having died before the show started.

** Prince Philip was reportedly extremely insulted by the series' portrayal of his sister Cecile and her family's death.

** UsefulNotes/JohnMajor condemned his depiction in some scenes of Series 5 in a statement calling it a "barrel-load of nonsense" and "damaging and malicious fiction". He was particularly aggrieved by a scene in which Prince Charles tries to get Major's support for persuading the Queen to AbdicateTheThrone [[note]] in RealLife, the newspaper article and opinion poll they're discussing was actually ''much'' less incendiary than depicted, and was actually published ''before Major even became Prime Minister'' [[/note]], and others where he and his wife Norma discuss the Royal Family in a disparaging manner. UsefulNotes/TonyBlair also didn't like the show's portrayal of him, calling it "complete and utter rubbish". It's worth noting that they are (so far, as of Series 5) the only still-living British [=PMs=] to be depicted in ''The Crown'', all of their predecessor having died before the show started.

* FollowTheLeader: This series comes a year after the film ''Film/ARoyalNightOut'', depicting a young then-Pirncess Elizabeth. It could even be viewed as a SpiritualSuccessor, given that ''A Royal Night Out'' follows Elizabeth when she was nineteen.

** PM UsefulNotes/JohnMajor is a character notably YoungerThanHeLooks (famously having premature gray hair) played by Creator/JonnyLeeMiller, an actor OlderThanHeLooks. Miller has more or less the same age Major had while being PM,[[note]]Miller was born in 1972 and was around 50 when the season featuring him premiered in 2022, while Mayor was born in 1943 and assummed the office of PM in 1990 at 47,[[/note]] and yet he still looks the younger out of the two.

** John Mayor first made a small appearance in Season 4 during meetings of Thatcher's government, played by Marc Ozall. When Mayor takes a much bigger role in Season 5 once he becomes Prime Minister, he's played by Creator/JonnyLeeMiller.

** Prince William angrily decried Series 4 and the show as exploitative. Understandable, given it dramatizes the unsavoury elements of the lives of his parents.

* Purportedly UsefulNotes/LizTruss was hopeful to oneday see Creator/EmmaThompson portray her.

** Richard Roxburgh had once played Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke in the 2010 TV movie ''Hawke''. He returned to play the role for the show in the fourth season episode "Terra Nullius".

** UsefulNotes/JohnMajor condemned his depiction in some scenes of Series 5 in a statement calling it a "barrel-load of nonsense" and "damaging and malicious fiction". He specifically condemned a scene in which Prince Charles hinted that he wanted Major's support for Elizabeth to AbdicateTheThrone, and others where he and his wife Norma discussed the Royal Family in a disparaging manner. UsefulNotes/TonyBlair also didn't like the show's portrayal of him, calling it "complete and utter rubbish". Worth noting that they are the first of the British prime ministers depicted to be alive to see the series, whereas none of the other [=PMs=] were, with only Thatcher's children alive to voice their disapproval.

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biographical series of the most seminal, long-ruling queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively.[[note]]As well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles, the Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively.[[/note]] Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. ''The Crown'''s producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames]] by saying ''Victoria'' is not in the same league as ''The Crown''.[[note]]''The Crown'' is a mega-production, with the first season reportedly $13 million per episode to produce (a figure Peter Morgan says is [[https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a851147/the-crown-budget-cost-how-expensive/ exaggerated]], other sources claim it was as low as $5 million per episode), while the per-episode budget for ''Victoria'' is reported as $1.5 million.[[/note]] For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and has won numerous accolades, including more than 20 Emmys, while ''Victoria'' did not win a single major award. ''Victoria'' ended after its third season, having covered less than 15 years of Victoria's 63-year reign, while ''The Crown'' is set to wrap up with its sixth season, covering over 50 years of Elizabeth's reign.

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biographical series of the most seminal queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively.[[note]]As well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles, the Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively.[[/note]] Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. ''The Crown'''s producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames]] by saying ''Victoria'' is not in the same league as ''The Crown''. For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and has won numerous accolades, including more than 20 Emmys, while ''Victoria'' did not win a single major award. ''Victoria'' ended after its third season, having covered less than 15 years of Victoria's 63-year reign, while ''The Crown'' is set to wrap up with its sixth season, covering over 50 years of Elizabeth's reign.

** Sydney Johson, as an adult, is played by an uncredited extra in Season 2, by Connie M'Gadzah in Season 3, and by Jude Akuwudike in Season 5.

** Playing royals: Creator/JaredHarris, Creator/ClaireFoy, Creator/OliviaColman, Creator/ImeldaStaunton. Creator/MattSmith, Creator/TobiasMenzies, Creator/JonathanPryce. Creator/VanessaKirby, Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter, Creator/LesleyManville. Creator/DominicWest. Creator/ElizabethDebicki. Creator/CharlesDance.

* PopCultureUrbanLegends: There were rumours that Elizabeth II herself enjoyed the series but she took some issue with the ArtisticLicenceHistory (some even going as far as to elaborate that she watched it in the company of the Countess of Wessex). Creator/ClaireFoy, however, is skeptical of this. Creator/MattSmith has reported that a friend of his had dinner with the family and asked if any of them watched it, to which Philip (who had already made his dislike of the series public) gave a sharp "Don't be ridiculous!"

** UsefulNotes/JohnMajor condemned his depiction in some scenes of Series 5 in a statement calling it a "barrel-load of nonsense" and "damaging and malicious fiction". He specifically condemned a scene in which Prince Charles hinted that he wanted Major's support for Elizabeth to AbdicateTheThrone, and others where he and his wife Norma discussed the Royal Family in a disparaging manner.
** UsefulNotes/TonyBlair also didn't like the show's portrayal of him, calling it "complete and utter rubbish".

** Three seasons after his final episode, Alex Jennings returns as the Duke of Windsor for the Series 5 episode "Mou Mou", set in the mid-1940s.

** Bertie Carvel is mostly just famous amongst theatre audiences, so his casting as Tony Blair came as a surprise to many given the other two most famous Prime Ministers covered in the show's timeline were portrayed by A-List actors (John Lithgow as Winston Churchill and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher).

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biographical series of the most seminal queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively.[[note]]As well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles, the Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively.[[/note]] Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. ''The Crown'''s producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames]] by saying ''Victoria'' is not in the same league as ''The Crown''. For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and has won numerous accolades, including more than 20 Emmys , while ''Victoria'' did not win a single major award. ''Victoria'' ended after its third season, having covered less than 15 years of Victoria's 63-year reign, while ''The Crown'' is set to wrap up with its sixth season, covering over 50 years of Elizabeth's reign.

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biographical series of the most seminal queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively.[[note]]As well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles, the Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively.[[/note]] Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. ''The Crown'''s producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames by saying ''Victoria'' is not in the same league as ''The Crown'']]. For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and has won numerous accolades, including more than 20 Emmys , while ''Victoria'' did not win a single major award. ''Victoria'' ended after its third season, having covered less than 15 years of Victoria's 63-year reign, while ''The Crown'' is set to wrap up with its sixth season, covering over 50 years of Elizabeth's reign.

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biopics of the most seminal queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively.[[note]]As well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles the Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively.[[/note]] Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. The Crown's producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames by saying Victoria is not in the same league as The Crown]]. For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and ended up winning numerous accolades, including Best Drama and Best Dramatic Actress for Claire Foy at the 2016 Golden Globes, while ''Victoria'' has as yet not won a single award.

* DuelingWorks: With ''{{Series/Victoria}}'', as biopics of the most seminal Queens in British history. Both feature former ''Series/DoctorWho'' co-stars Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman, respectively [[note]]as well as Alex Jennings as scheming royal uncles The Duke of Windsor and King Leopold of the Belgians, respectively[[/note]].Noteworthy is how much of a study in contrasts the two casts are. The Crown's producer even [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-10-03/the-crown-producer-says-soapy-rival-royal-drama-victoria-isnt-in-the-same-league fanned the flames by saying Victoria is not in the same league as The Crown]]. For what it's worth, ''The Crown'' has made a global splash and ended up winning numerous accolades, including Best Drama and Best Dramatic Actress for Claire Foy at the 2016 Golden Globes, while ''Victoria'' has as yet not won a single award.

* RealLifeRelative: Artist Graham Sutherland and King George V are respectively played by brothers Creator/StephenDillane and Richard Dillane.