The Crown star Josh O'Connor slams Oliver Dowden's 'low blow' against the show when 'the arts are struggling'

Josh O'Connor has called the Culture Secretary's comments against The Crown a 'low blow'. Photo / Supplied

Josh O'Connor has criticised the suggestion by Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, that Netflix should brand episodes of The Crown with a "disclaimer" stating that the series is fiction.

The most recent series depicts the turmoil in the Royal family during the 1980s, the entry of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen's allegedly difficult relationship with Margaret Thatcher. It has, however, faced fierce criticism for its portrayal of events.

Dowden recently described The Crown as a "beautifully produced work of fiction", but added that, in his opinion, Netflix should emphasise that fact: "It should be very clear at the beginning it is just [fiction]."

O'Connor described the proposal, which the streaming giant has already rejected, as "outrageous".

"My personal view is that audiences understand," he said. "You have to show them respect, and understand that they're intelligent enough to see it for what it is, which is pure fiction."

Those involved in The Crown, written by Peter Morgan, have admitted on multiple occasions that the latest series invented events wholesale.

For instance, Annie Sulzberger, the show's head of research, said that a scene in which Diana, Princess of Wales dances on a VHS recording for her husband was created to engage the viewers' sympathy for her and "to break our hearts".

David Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of Princess Margaret, criticised an episode about two of the Queen Mother's nieces, Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon, who were born with severe learning difficulties and committed to an institution when young.

The episode suggested that Princess Margaret and the Queen had no idea about their cousins' existence, and that Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother had kept it a secret from her daughters. Bowes-Lyon told The Telegraph that this was "fiction pretending to be fact", and revealed it had caused "frustration" within the family.

Writing in The Telegraph last month, the historian and columnist Simon Heffer described much of The Crown as "simply preposterous". He singled out imagined conversations between the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, and intruder Michael Fagan and the Queen, the latter of which he called an "A-level Politics oral" and "a masterpiece of nonsense".

Some of those involved in the series have since expressed discomfort with its reception. Helena Bonham-Carter, who plays Princess Margaret, said Netflix had a "moral responsibility" to air a disclaimer.

The show's writer, Peter Morgan, indicated last week that the portrayal of the Queen will darken over the next two series, as she suffers a loss of confidence in the face of public hostility.

The fifth and sixth series will cover the 1990s, including the Queen's "annus horribilis" and the death of the Princess of Wales.