How Doctor Who will regenerate . . . as the love of the Queen’s life
FORMER Doctor Who star Matt Smith is in the final stage of complex negotiations to portray prince philip in a mammoth television drama series that will explore the Queen’s 60-plus years on the throne.
Smith — who played the 11th good doctor in 50 episodes, over four years, until he left the programme after the 2013 Christmas Day special — would play the Queen’s consort in The Crown, from the time of their wedding at Westminster abbey in 1947 through to the early Sixties (20 episodes, divided into two seasons). Written by peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry, The Crown will look at the relationship between Buckingham palace and No 10, and how major constitutional matters were dealt with.
for instance, when princess elizabeth told her father King George VI that she wanted to marry a penniless Greek
prince, some courtiers expressed concern about philip being an interloper, while a few politicians worried that he was out to rip off the Royal family.
The first episode, which starts shooting in June, will examine the drama behind the scenes of the wedding.
Once Smith has officially signed up to be the Duke of edinburgh, he will join Claire foy, who has already been cast by Daldry as the young elizabeth II.
If successful, The Crown will expand to 60 episodes, costing £100 million, and covering Her Majesty’s entire reign. In which case, three sets of actors will be needed to portray the principal royals: HM, philip, Margaret and the Queen Mother.
finding an actress to portray the Queen’s late sister, princess Margaret — who died in 2002 — has been problematic because there has been much debate over whether she should be played for laughs (as a party princess with a steely resolve), or as a sad, tragic figure. at least 32-year- old Smith can’t be accused of being typecast after being the youngest- ever actor to play Dr Who. He has recently finished working on the upcoming american horror comedy film pride and prejudice and Zombies.