The Crown will 'show what we know now' about Bashir's Diana interview

The Crown is set to tackle Diana’s Panorama interview: Fifth series will ‘show what we now know’ about how 1995 interview with Martin Bashir was obtained and ‘how Diana was treated’, source claims

• Series five of The Crown will show how BBC’s Bashir secured Diana interview
• Diana revealed private details about marriage to Charles on Panorama in 1995
• Lord Dyson report said BBC covered up Bashir’s ‘deceitful behaviour’  

The fifth series of The Crown will incorporate information that has recently surfaced about how The BBC secured an infamous Panorama interview with Princess Diana.

The 1995 interview between Diana and BBC journalist Martin Bashir made global headlines as the princess spoke openly about her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

A report by Lord Dyson published last year found Bashir used ‘deceitful behaviour’ – which The BBC then covered up – to win the Princess’s trust and convince her to give the interview.

As production gets underway on the new series of Netflix hit show The Crown, a source has confirmed the controversial way in which the interview was secured will be aired in scenes.

The new series of The Crown will see Emma Corrin (pictured) replaced by Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana

BBC journalist Martin Bashir was found to have used ‘deceitful behaviour’ to secure the interview with Princess Diana

A source said: ‘Season five of The Crown will dramatise events surrounding the Panorama interview, given the pivotal part it played during the time period the new series covers.

‘It will reflect what we now know about how the interview was obtained and how Diana was treated.’

While speaking to Bashir in 1995, Diana famously said of her relationship with Prince Charles: ‘There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded’.

After the revelations into the 1995 interview were uncovered, Prince William called on the BBC never to air it again.

On Thursday, the BBC agreed it would not broadcast any clips from Bashir’s interview in future. 

Director-general Tim Davie said: ‘Now we know about the shocking way that the interview was obtained, I have decided that the BBC will never show the programme again, nor will we license it in whole or part to other broadcasters.

Princess Diana revealed in a 1995 interview with BBC Panorama that there were ‘three people’ in her marriage to Prince Charles 

‘It does of course remain part of the historical record and there may be occasions in the future when it will be justified for the BBC to use short extracts for journalistic purposes, but these will be few and far between and will need to be agreed at executive committee level and set in the full context of what we now know about the way the interview was obtained.

‘I would urge others to exercise similar restraint.’

The new series of The Crown, due to hit streaming service Netflix in November, will see Dominic West star as Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.

The Wire star West takes over the role of Charles from Josh O’Connor, while The Night Manager actress Debicki replaces Emma Corrin.

Imelda Staunton will take over the role of the Queen from Olivia Colman, while Jonathan Pryce replaces Tobias Menzies as the Duke of Edinburgh and Lesley Manville will be Princess Margaret, following in the footsteps of Helena Bonham Carter.

The Crown was due to end after the fifth series, but the show’s creator and writer Peter Morgan later said it will be extended to include a sixth series.

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