Martin Bashir interviews Princess Diana in Kensington Palace for the television program Panorama. Photo / Getty Images
Martin Bashir interviews Princess Diana in Kensington Palace for the television program Panorama. Photo / Getty Images
The next season of The Crown will feature episodes about BBC journalist Martin Bashir's "grooming" of Diana, Princess of Wales, reports claim.
The acclaimed television show will document the "deceitful" way Bashir secured the now infamous 1995 Panorama interview.
The UK's Daily Telegraph claimed the fifth season of the award-winning show will feature Bashir and how the Princess was drawn into taking part in the interview, despite Prince William's recent calls for the Panorama interview to "never be aired again".
The newspaper suggests the show's writer Peter Morgan is working alongside a team of researchers with hopes to recreate the interview.
According to sources, the scripts have "all been written" and "are already out there".
Martin Bashir interviews Princess Diana in Kensington Palace for the television program Panorama. Photo / Getty Images
They added, "This was a year ago. The team were doing the most incredible research and they've got it all there – the build–up to the interview, how Bashir effectively groomed the Princess, the interview itself and the aftermath are all factored in over more than one episode."
The news comes after a publication of a report which criticised the methods Bashir used to secure the bombshell interview including the use of fake bank statements.
The report found Bashir used "deceitful conduct" to obtain the 1995 interview with the Princess, which was then covered up by a "woefully ineffective" internal investigation in 1996.
Following the report, Princes William and Harry both released statements. The Duke of Cambridge said he was "most saddened" Diana never learned she had been deceived and that his mother was failed "not just by a rogue reporter", but by BBC bosses.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 20, 2021
The Duke also called for the interview to be removed, "It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again."
Prince Harry blamed a toxic media culture for his mother's death, expressing concern such practices "are still widespread today". He added, "Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed. By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life."
It's been confirmed that series five will see a whole new cast of characters including Imelda Staunton (the Queen), Jonathan Pryce (Prince Philip), and Elizabeth Debicki (Diana). Prince Charles' casting is yet to be announced. The fifth season will cover the intense interest in Charles and Diana throughout the 90s.
The sixth series will be the final series, drawing The Crown to a conclusion when it's released in 2023.
