'The Crown' faces backlash from UK govt
The UK's Lifestyle Secretary has called on Netflix to place a disclaimer at the start of episodes of 'The Crown' telling viewers that the royal drama is "a work of fiction."
Oliver Dowden said that with out a warning that the express uses artistic license, younger viewers may well "mistake fiction for fact."
The existing season of the show, which premiered on Netflix earlier this month, depicts a tumultuous amount of Queen Elizabeth II's rule in the 1980s and presents an typically unflattering view of family.
But Dowden's suggestion was criticized by some historians, a lot of whom deemed it unnecessary.
The minister told the UK's Mail on Sunday newspaper: "It's a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with different TV productions, Netflix should be very clear in the beginning it is merely that."
Netflix will not usually inform viewers that its dramas are actually fictional at the start of each episode.
"Without this, I fear a technology of viewers who didn't survive these events might mistake fiction for fact," Dowden added.
The paper said the minister is likely to write to the platform to formally request a "health warning" before every episode.
CNN has contacted Netflix and the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for comment. 'The Crown' is one of Netflix's flagship series,and has so far depicted the primary four years of Elizabeth II's rule during the period of four seasons.
