By John Hiscock
“Good dogs, good dogs.”
Olivia Colman, who has taken over the role of Queen Elizabeth from Claire Foy in The Crown, sneaks some dog treats out of her pocket to persuade the corgis Lily and Prince to remain at her feet and not wander off. They eagerly take the treats, obediently sit still and the cameras roll.
“I love dogs and they are hilarious,” she says. “Prince is very well behaved and Lily’s a little bugger. They’re lovely and I always have my pockets full of dog snacks, to try and make them like me more.”
We are on the set of the third series of The Crown at Lancaster House, part of the St. James Palace complex, whose magnificent state rooms stand in for Buckingham Palace, while the exterior of the Palace and its courtyard have been constructed at Elstree Studios.
The new series, which begins airing on November 17, has a completely new cast from the first two series and a storyline that covers the time period between 1964 and 1977, starting with Labour’s Harold Wilson’s election as Prime Minister to the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
Elizabeth and her family are struggling to meet the challenges of a rapidly-changing Britain. From the exuberance of the 1960s to the long, dreary hangover of the 1970s Elizabeth and the Royals must adapt to a new, more liberated but also more turbulent world.
Among many other things, Series Three sees Prince Charles bonding with a young Camilla over the Goon Show; Princess Margaret and the-then Anthony Armstrong-Jones having raging arguments; the Queen reluctantly visiting the scene of the Aberfan disaster and a sulky Princess Anne being told she will have to give interviews, smile and undergo a public relations campaign.
The writer and creator of The Crown, Peter Morgan, has this time relied more on informants and Palace sources for previously untold anecdotes about the Royals.
“The success of the first two series could have resulted in more doors being closed but through back channels people have come forward, willing to talk much more frankly because I think they trust the show,” he says.
“As we are getting closer to the present, more and more people are still alive and I am being given much more information.”
Olivia Colman confesses: “It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done because everyone knows the Queen’s voice and knows what she looks like. It’s also been the longest job I have ever done but I’m really enjoying it.
“When Claire Foy handed over the mantle she was incredibly encouraging. She said, ‘Whoa, congratulations, you’ll love it.’
“Through doing this I have to say I’ve fallen in love with the Monarchy a bit. It’s not a job I’d want but I think the Queen certainly is a solid rock for us all. If you’re going to tell a story about a human being, she is the most extraordinary.
“She made a vow as a young woman in her 20s, and she stuck to in into her 90s. And I just think she’s remarkable that she’s managed to sit it out through all sorts of good years, bad years, terrible years. And I think that’s quite an impressive thing for a human being.”
– John Hiscock
