Joanna Lumley tells podcast Netflix series The Crown and Megxit are ‘ghastly’

Joanna Lumley has revealed that she will never watch or appear in The Crown because she thinks it’s ‘awful’ that viewers don’t know it’s ‘mostly made up.’

The Absolutely Fabulous star, 74, who’s been close to the heir to the throne for years as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and attended his 2005 wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall, said she wouldn’t watch the hit Netflix show because she’s concerned some viewers don’t know it’s ‘mostly made up’. 

Speaking on Chopper’s Politics podcast for The Telegraph, the actress also admitted she hasn’t been keeping tabs on the royal family – adding that she finds the Megxit saga ‘ghastly’. 

It comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shook the Firm to its core following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they made claims of racism within the royal family and alleged concerns about Meghan’s mental health were ignored. 

Joanna Lumley, pictured with her friend Prince Charles at Clarence House, has said she would never appear in The Crown because she thinks it’s ‘awful’ viewers don’t know it’s ‘mostly made up’

Pictured, Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor as Charles and Diana in the latest season of Netflix's The Crown

Pictured, Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor as Charles and Diana in the latest season of Netflix’s The Crown

When asked whether she’s following Megxit, Joanna replied: ‘Not really. I find that all ghastly. I don’t watch The Crown, I find it all ghastly.’ 

The actress was then questioned over whether she would ever appear in The Crown, to which she continued: ‘No. No, I didn’t watch it or see it or do it. 

‘Lots of people love it and lots of people know it’s mostly made up, but lots of people don’t know it’s made up which is awful.’

Joanna, who has been married to conductor Stephen Barlow since 1986, says she won’t watch The Crown because she ‘doesn’t agree’ with viewers believing the royal drama is entirely based on fact. 

It comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shook the Firm to its core following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey (pictured)

It comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shook the Firm to its core following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey (pictured)

‘I put myself in the shoes of the people, in this case the royal family where people imagine how you speak to your husband’, she said. ‘If you imagined how Stevie and I talk to each other and tried to write it down it makes me feel faint with laughter.

‘Well some people say “Oh everybody knows it’s made up” – they don’t, they think its the truth. I couldn’t watch it because I feel if you don’t agree with something don’t watch it and go “oooh I hate that.” Just don’t watch it. ‘ 

The latest series begins as the 1970s are drawing to a close, with the Royal Family preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles, who is still unmarried at 30. 

It documents Diana’s blossoming romance with Prince Charles, meanwhile the British nation struggles with the impact of the divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Thatcher.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden demanded in November last year that Netflix make clear the royal drama is 'fiction'. Pictured, Corrin and O'Connor as Charles and Diana in The Crown

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden demanded in November last year that Netflix make clear the royal drama is ‘fiction’. Pictured, Corrin and O’Connor as Charles and Diana in The Crown

The latest begins as the 1970s are drawing to a close, with the Royal Family preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession. Pictured, Olivia Coleman as Queen Elizabeth

The latest begins as the 1970s are drawing to a close, with the Royal Family preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession. Pictured, Olivia Coleman as Queen Elizabeth 

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden demanded in November last year that Netflix make clear the royal drama is ‘fiction’. 

He claimed viewers should be warned at the start of each episode that it was not ‘fact’ after mounting concern that fabricated scenes in the drama series were so damaging to the Royal Family.

‘It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. 

‘Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.’

Controversy over invented scenes prompted the Princess's brother to add his voice to the calls for a disclaimer. Pictured, Emma Corrin as Diana

Controversy over invented scenes prompted the Princess’s brother to add his voice to the calls for a disclaimer. Pictured, Emma Corrin as Diana

The show faced widespread criticism over its ‘twisted’ depiction of the Royal Family, which portrays Prince Charles as callous and self-serving and his grandmother the Queen as cold.

The fourth series of The Crown, which premiered last November, shows Charles meeting and marrying an innocent Diana while maintaining his affair with the then-married Camilla Parker-Bowles. 

Elsewhere, scenes showing Diana gorging on food before vomiting into a toilet are so graphic that they carry on-screen warnings.

Controversy over invented scenes prompted the Princess’s brother to add his voice to the calls for a disclaimer.

Earl Spencer told ITV: ‘It would help The Crown an enormous amount if at the beginning of each episode it stated that, ‘This isn’t true but is based around some real events’. Because then everyone would understand it’s drama for drama’s sake.’ 

Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana, has previously admitted that the controversial fourth series is ‘fictionalised to a great extent’.

During a series of interviews, the 24-year-old said the storylines were invented and the members of the Royal Family depicted in the new series were ‘characters’ created by Peter Morgan.