'The Crown' will ‘show what we now know’ on Martin Bashir's Princess Diana interview

The Crown is apparently set to reflect what is now known about the circumstances that led to the Panorama interview with Princess Diana and how she was treated.

Events surrounding the 1995 interview with then BBC journalist Martin Bashir - which made headlines all over the world as the princess spoke openly about her marriage to Prince Charles – will be dramatised in the fifth series of the hit show.

Diana’s sit-down with Bashir saw the royal saying that “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded” and is one of the BBC's most famous interviews.

Read more: Elizabeth Debicki confirmed to play Princess Diana in The Crown

However, last year a report by Lord Dyson concluded that the BBC covered up “deceitful behaviour” by the journalist to secure the interview and this week BBC boss Tim Davie said they would never show it again after the "shocking" way it was obtained came to light.

The revelations about the interview emerged as scriptwriters were working on the fifth series of Netflix’s hit royal drama, which will see Elizabeth Debicki play Princess Diana and Dominic West star as Charles.

They then incorporated the new information into the storyline.

The PA news agency quoted a source as saying: “Season five of The Crown will dramatise events surrounding the Panorama interview, given the pivotal part it played during the time period the new series covers.

“It will reflect what we now know about how the interview was obtained and how Diana was treated.”

Speaking earlier this week, BBC director-general Davie said: "Now we know about the shocking way that the interview was obtained, I have decided that the BBC will never show the programme again; nor will we license it in whole or part to other broadcasters.

“It does of course remain part of the historical record and there may be occasions in the future when it will be justified for the BBC to use short extracts for journalistic purposes, but these will be few and far between and will need to be agreed at executive committee level and set in the full context of what we now know about the way the interview was obtained."

He urged others to "exercise similar restraint".

The first series of The Crown was released in 2016 and it became a huge hit.

Read more: Jonny Lee Miller to play former PM John Major in The Crown

It is set to return with its fifth series in November this year.

Additional reporting from PA.

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