It's always hard to know whether some people watching shows based on real-life events actually get that there's such a thing as poetic licence and fictionalisation.
For example, in 'Michael Collins', the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries didn't really drive a tank into the middle of Croke Park on Bloody Sunday in 1920. However, the image is startling and has more visual impact than what really happened. The same goes for just about any movie or TV show you can think of; some events are condensed, some are made more dramatic, others are neglected entirely.
'The Crown' has, in recent weeks, seen a number of complaints over its portrayal of certain events and personalities. After all, the fourth season is now coming into recent memory where a much larger number of people either remember the events that are covered in the show.
The UK government's Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, is apparently drafting a letter to Netflix urging the streamer to add a disclaimer that 'The Crown' is a work of fiction. As he told the Mail on Sunday, he believes that while 'The Crown' is "a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that."
Dowden's belief is that "a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact." He's not the only one who's had some issues with this season of 'The Crown' as well. Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, told ITV last week that "Americans tell me they have watched 'The Crown' as if they have taken a history lesson. Well, they haven’t."
Netflix hasn't yet commented on the UK Culture Secretary's comments or Charles Spencer's comments either.
