The Crown's Lesley Manville confirms season 6 about to start filming

When asked whether filming for the season 6 had begun, Manville said: "Yes, we're about to start.

"Oh it's great, it's a fantastic series to work on. Every department is people at their best – costumes, hair and make-up, writing, directors, actors. It's a fantastic series to be involved in."

While the upcoming series of The Crown will follow the Royal Family throughout the '90s and early 2000s, Manville went back to the 1950s for the titular role in Anthony Fabian film Mrs Harris Goes to Paris – a performance she found much easier than playing Princess Margaret.

Comparing the role of Mrs Harris – a widowed cleaning lady from London – to Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Manville said: "It's only because I'm a working class girl from Brighton so the territory of Mrs Harris is kind of in my bones.

"Whereas the other end of the social scale – and let's face it, you couldn't get more aristocratic than the Royal Family – is obviously not something that comes like that to me, but listen, that's what gets me up in the morning.

"I never want to play the same sort of characters so that kind of chameleon range of parts that I'm offered suits me fine, and I'm very grateful."

Last week, news broke that The Crown had cast newcomers in the roles of Prince William and Kate Middleton for season 6, with Ed McVey set to play William as a young adult and Meg Bellamy starring as a university-aged Kate.

Written by Peter Morgan, the penultimate series of The Crown is set to land on Netflix in November, with Imelda Staunton making her debut as Queen Elizabeth II.

The Crown is available to watch on Netflix. Visit our Drama hub for more news and features or find something to watch with our TV Guide.

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