Tuesday, 3 December 2019

The Crown - Season 3 (Creator / writer Peter Morgan)

The Queen is now Olivia Colmans, Philip Tobias Menzies, Margaret Helena Bonham Carter.

1. 1964: A spy is revealed in the royal household. Anthony Blount intimates if Philip threatens to reveal it he has incriminating evidence linking the prince to Stephen Ward and the Profumo affair. New PM is Harold Wilson, played by Jason Watkins. Marion Bailey good value as Queen Mum.


2. Britain needs a bail-out from the US but Lyndon Johnson's being difficult. Margaret attends the White House and through drinking and dirty limericks brings round the President. HBC's hour of glory.

3. 1966. Aberfan. Queen slow to respond.

4. Philip rashly invites documentary crew into palace, making them look even more privileged, but his Greek mother Aunt Alice, with her courage and fortitude, makes great impression (as does Jane Lapotaire). First glimpse of feisty Princess Anne (Erin Doherty).

5. Supposed coup attempt on Government with Mountbatten (Charles Dance) as figurehead, whilst Queen globetrots in search of ideal horse training - she reveals to 'Porchey' (John Hollingworth) that this life is all she really wants. Beatles still nowhere in evidence.

6. Josh O'Connor appears as Charles, a fabulous performance in a most enjoyable episode where he has to deliver his inauguration speech in Welsh, and befriends teacher Mark Lewis Jones. Capel Celyn is that Welsh-speaking village that was flooded in 1965 to create a reservoir for Liverpool - most unpopular, naturally.

7. 1969. Philip obsessed by achievement of moon landing, realises his own life lacks meaning, befriends the new Dean.

8. Charles spends time with Edward (Derek Jacobi, fabulous as always) and Mrs Simspon (Geraldine Chaplin) and starts seeing Camilla (Emerald Fennell channeling Joanna Lumley) whilst Anne is dallying with her other half, Andrew Buchan. Josh is really fabulous.

9. Wilson out, piano-playing Heath in (with opening Chopin 'Raindrop' prelude providing a musical departure point), miner's strike, candles everywhere, even in Palace. Charles wants to be with Camilla - no one wants this to happen.

10. Bust up of Anne and Tony and her fling with Roddy (Harry Treadaway). Not sure where Kensington palace or wherever it is is filmed.

Adriano Goldman (photography) and Martin Phipps (score) still present and correct, both doing some lovely things.

Entertaining series despite - or rather, probably because of - historical inaccuracies and creative writing.

Some how feel it's all getting a bit recent and they should stop there, though... try and stop this train.

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