‘Gloriana’ feels as though it’s been constructed as the series finale to a different programme. Consider the ending of the show. Elizabeth’s final scene, now named Elizabeth Regina rather than Elizabeth Windsor, feels like it’s supposed to be this great milestone; akin, perhaps, to the first time a superhero puts on their costume and takes … >

Winston Churchill is a difficult individual to get to grips with. On the one hand, he’s revered for having steered Britain through World War Two, oft credited with having held a key role in the eventual victory of the Allies. Indeed, it’s because of these achievements that he’s typically considered one of Britain’s greatest politicians, … >

Finally – finally – The Crown has figured out a characterisation of Elizabeth that works. It’s been difficult for them, and understandably so; there’s an aspect of Elizabeth that’s always been implacable, always been impenetrable, which makes it hard to develop a character beyond – as she’s called in this episode – a “blank page”. … >

With the threat of the atom bomb on the rise and Cold War tensions brewing, Elizabeth realises that… she doesn’t really know much trigonometry, actually, and if she wants to engage in political situations, it might help for her to have at least the education level of the average twelve-year-old child. Accordingly, then, she hires … >

The Crown recently won two Golden Globes, and was nominated for a third; Best Actress for Claire Foy, Best Drama TV Series, and a nomination for John Lithgow as Best Supporting Actor. In many ways, it’s understandable – no television series in the last year has felt so self-consciously styled in pursuit of such critical … >

Here we see The Crown begin to introduce a little more subtlety, in a move away from its prior style of outlining themes in great detail – and it does so by placing greater faith in the ability of its stars, namely Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Alex Jennings. Certainly, it’s an improvement on previous … >

A mere four episodes in, and we have what feels like The Crown’s first filler episode. That’s perhaps an unfair description – and perhaps an inaccurate one, too. It may be closer to the truth to describe ‘Act of God’ as an episode of The Crown which is trying to be a different programme entirely; … >

The obvious next step, of course, considering the established themes of The Crown – responsibility and duty taking priority over love and autonomy – is to show us the royal who shirked the former in pursuit of the latter; the man who, in his own words, couldn’t handle the responsibility. Prince, formerly King, Edward (here … >

‘Hyde Park Corner’ begins with Elizabeth (Claire Foy) and Philip (Matt Smith) on a tour of Africa, spending the duration of the episode in Nairobi. It’s a look at the decadence and dark side of royalty, with the first confrontation with the colonialism and imperial tendencies that the crown still represented at this point; Elizabeth … >