Minister: Give Crown label saying it’s fiction

THE Crown should carry a warning at the start of each episode making it clear that it’s fiction, the Culture Secretary has said.

Oliver Dowden praised the Netflix drama as ‘beautifully produced’, but said some viewers could mistake dramatised storylines for real events.

He added: ‘It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so... Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that.’

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.’

His remarks come after Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, told ITV’s Lorraine: ‘It would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated, “This isn’t true but is based around some real events”. I worry people do think that this is gospel, and that’s unfair.’