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Netflix has announced that a sixth series of The Crown will be made after all, despite recently stating that the show would come to an end following its fifth run.
The streaming giant had originally planned for the award-winning show to run for a total of six series, with three different actors taking on the lead role of Queen Elizabeth II throughout that time.
Despite this, it was announced in January that the fifth series – which will see Imelda Staunton taking over as the UK monarch, would be the last – although producers have now done a 180 over this decision.
“News from the palace,” a tweet posted on Netflix’s account on Thursday afternoon read. “We can confirm there will be a sixth (and final) season of @TheCrownNetflix, in addition to the previously announced five!”
The Crown creator Peter Morgan also explained: “As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.”
Last year, The Crown unveiled its third series, in which Olivia Colman succeeded Claire Foy in the leading role.
The third run was met with a more mixed reception than its predecessors, although its leading star did win a Golden Globe for her performance, while Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter were also nominated for their portrayals of Prince Philip and Princess Margaret.
Filming on the impending fourth series was completed in March, shortly before lockdown measures were introduced in the UK.
The fourth run was originally intended to debut later in 2020, although it’s yet to be announced whether the coronavirus pandemic has scuppered these plans.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct Peter Morgan’s name.