{"id":7873,"date":"2021-11-26T13:34:16","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T12:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1520716"},"modified":"2021-11-26T14:14:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T13:14:07","slug":"the-crowns-bertie-carvel-on-playing-tony-blair-were-not-making-a-documentary","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-crowns-bertie-carvel-on-playing-tony-blair-were-not-making-a-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crown\u2019s Bertie Carvel on playing Tony Blair: \u201cWe\u2019re not making a documentary\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 26 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The star-studded cast of The Crown<\/a> continues to grow \u2013 and one of the latest big names to be confirmed for the upcoming fifth series is Bertie Carvel.<\/p>\n

The Doctor Foster star \u2013 who recently played the lead in Channel 5\u2019s detective series Dalgliesh \u2013 will be taking on the role of former Prime Minister Tony Blair in the acclaimed royal drama, and he recently revealed he\u2019s not exactly sure what his performance will look like just yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know quite what shape it\u2019s going to take for me,\u201d he told i News<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m approaching it a bit like apparently Michelangelo did with his blocks of marble and allowing things to be revealed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he added that he isn\u2019t too concerned with making sure his performance is an inch-perfect impression of the Labour politician, pointing out that the series is a drama and not a documentary.<\/p>\n

\u201cActors are a different kind of truthtellers from historians or journalists,\u201d he said, later adding, \u201cI can\u2019t tell the whole truth of Tony Blair through whatever Peter Morgan chooses to write about him in seasons five and six, but I can offer an insight or a way of looking at that story differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cAsking if The Crown is accurate really misses the point, and is slightly patronising to audiences. We\u2019re not making a documentary.\u201d<\/p>

Carvel is one of many new faces joining the series ahead of the new season, with the entire cast set to be refreshed for the second time in the show\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Imelda Staunton will be taking over from Olivia Colman in the main role as Queen Elizabeth II, while Jonathan Pryce and Lesley Manville will star as Prince Philip and Princess Margaret \u2013 previously played by Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter respectively.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile other confirmed new cast members include Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Jonny Lee Miller as former Prime Minister John Major and Olivia Williams\u00a0as\u00a0Camilla Parker Bowles.<\/p>\n

Netflix confirmed the release date of season five during the streamer\u2019s TUDUM event<\/a> in September, with the penultimate season set to arrive on our screens in November 2022<\/strong> \u2013 so we\u2019ve still got a whole year to wait.<\/p>\n