The Crown is back to revisit history–and some old wounds. Season five of the show, which now focuses on Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s volatile story, has moved in to the 90s.
The Crown season five, currently streaming on Netflix, follows the lives and history of the British monarchy. The latest season has received mostly positive reviews. This is the first season of the series to be released after the death of Prince Philip on April 9, 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022.
Who was Tony Blair, and what is his role in The Crown Season 5?
Season five of The Crown introduces new characters, including, a new Prime Minister. In this season, the show follows Margaret Thatcher’s successor, John Major. The series, however, saw the makers tease the arrival of a new Prime Minister–Tony Blair. The former PM is likely to find a larger space on season six, as his presence will add–and amplify–the volatile character dynamics on the show.
On the show, actor Bertie Carvel plays Tony Blair. Carvel, who interestingly also appeared on The Crown briefly in season two as a journalist, is likely to reprise the role of the former PM in the next season.
Tony Blair served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. Blair’s time in the office came amid economic growth and noted electoral success. He resigned as the PM in 2007 and was succeeded by Gordon Brown. Blair married Cherie Booth– a barrister and a writer– in 1980. Booth later became a Queen’s Counsel. On the show, Cherie is played by actor Lydia Leonard.
According to RadioTimes, The Crown’s latest season reportedly features a scene where Prince Charles (now King), is shown trying to recruit Blair as an ally to protect his future– and pave the way for him to marry Camilla, shortly after the 1997 general election. The depiction, however, has not gone down well with Blair who, through his spokesperson, told ITV, that, “It should come as no surprise that this is complete and utter rubbish.”
The allegation notwithstanding, actor Carvel told iNews that he cannot “tell the whole truth of Tony Blair” through the series. “Actors are a different kind of truthtellers from historians or journalists. “I can’t tell the whole truth of Tony Blair through whatever Peter Morgan chooses to write about him in seasons 5 and 6, but I can offer an insight or a way of looking at that story differently,” he had said in an interview.
The fifth season of the show puts spotlight on the life of the royals in the 1990s, a tumultuous phase when the family navigated marital upsets and public dissent.
