After what seemed like a long wait, fans were finally treated to the fourth season of The Crown when it landed on Netflix yesterday.

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Among many other things, the new series boasts an impressive performance from Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, whose relationship with the Queen is explored in-depth for much of the 10-episode run.

And series creator Peter Morgan has told Netflix Queue the conflict between the pair is "at the heart" of the season, while stars Anderson and Olivia Colman also had their say on the relationship.

"On the face of it, Elizabeth and Margaret should get on," Colman explained. "They are the same age, have the same drive, the same devotion to their fathers, the same work ethic.

"Yet they don’t. It’s not the beautiful friendship that the queen hopes it will be at the beginning."

And Anderson added, "Where the queen leans back, Thatcher leans in; where the queen does nothing, Thatcher takes action."

Anderson’s performance as the Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has already earned rave reviews in the short time that the new series has been available, with fans taking to social media to sing the praises of the Sex Education star.

Earlier, Anderson explained how she had had to put all “preconceptions and opinions” to one side when it came to portraying the unpopular former Prime Minister.

"One of the things that I have found in playing historical characters is to put aside all preconceptions and opinions, particularly in regards to Margaret Thatcher," she told Variety.

"Because in making choices within scenes or within the arc of the series, one has to have a deep understanding of how they arrived to those decisions, how the character was able to take the actions and develop those attitudes and policies, in [Thatcher’s] case."

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All 10 episodes of the new season of The Crown are streaming now on Netflix. You can also check out RadioTimes.com's The Crown review. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, visit our TV Guide, or find out about upcoming new TV shows 2020.

Authors

Patrick Cremona, RadioTimes.com's senior film writer looking at the camera and smiling
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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