Netflix has announced details of its first ever UK-produced series The Crown, a drama about the relationship between the Queen and the Prime Ministers who that have served during her reign as monarch.
Written by Peter Morgan, who penned hit movie The Queen, which starred Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, the series is inspired by the screenwriter's hit West End play - which also starred Dame Helen - The Audience (pictured).
The video-on-demand - which has had hits with Kevin Spacey's House of Cards and comedy Orange Is The New Black - said the drama would 'tell the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world - Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street - and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century'.
With each series dedicated to a decade of Queen Elizabeth's reign and the first season lasting 10 episodes, even the mathematically challenged among us have worked out that Netflix seem to have ambitions for a massive 50-part run - or possibly longer.
It's not known if Dame Helen will reprise her stage role for the series, but reports suggest that Claire Foy (Upstairs Downstairs) is in line to play the young Elizabeth.
The first series begins with the early part of Elizabeth II's reign as a 25-year-old princess faced with the daunting prospect of leading the most famous monarchy in the world while forging a relationship with the domineering, war-hardened prime minister Winston Churchill.
Peter Morgan said: "The Crown is not only about the Royal Family, but about an empire in decline, a world in disarray and the dawn of a new era. I am beyond thrilled to be reunited with partners from film, theatre and television for this epic project and delighted to be working for the first time with Netflix."
