The Crown series five halts filming as eight crew members test positive for Covid

The Crown is the latest production to be shut down by Covid-19 after eight crew members tested positive for the virus.

Shooting was halted on Wednesday (15 December), according to reports.

Netflix confirmed to MailOnline: “The Crown finished filming one day earlier than planned for the Christmas break following a few positive cases.”

The outbreak comes after Bertie Carvel and Lydia Leonard were seen in character as Tony Blair and his wife Cherie in pictures from the set.

The fifth series of The Crown will air next November, and is expected to further explore the strained relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Diana (now portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West, respectively).

Imelda Staunton leads the cast of the new series as Queen Elizabeth II, replacing Olivia Colman in the role.

Lesley Manville will also take over from Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, while Jonathan Pryce will star as Prince Phillip.

The emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus last month is causing concern around the world.

On Monday (13 December), the UK confirmed the first death from the new variant globally. Health secretary Sajid Javid estimated that the rate of Omicron infections was already at around 200,000 per day.

Confirmed Covid cases have since rocketed to 88,376 in the latest figures, with daily deaths up to 146.