The Crown viewers slam Gillian Anderson’s Margaret Thatcher as ‘ridiculous, over the top and unfair’

THE Crown viewers are less than impressed by what they term the show's "entertaining but ridiculous parody" of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Many fans of the Netflix series believe the programme's creators, as well as actress Gillian Anderson, completely missed the mark when it came to the Iron Lady's arrival in season 4.

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Conservative Baroness Thatcher - the UK's first female PM - was elected in 1979, just when the latest 10-episode instalment of The Crown starts.

As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Prime Minister Thatcher, tensions arise between her and the Queen.

These are seen to grow worse as Mrs Thatcher then leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth.

Yet viewers believe show bosses have mixed up the assertive, determined, survive-on-little-sleep qualities of Maggie for some of the traits of her later years, where she struggled with ill health and memory loss.

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Referring to The X Files actress Gillian's gravelly, strained tone adopted for the role, one took to Twitter to write: "I think Gillian Anderson is a wonderful actor. But I just don't understand the praise she is getting for her Thatcher.

"It's awful - she is copying the voice and intonation of her latter years, after office. There is none of the urgency and passion of Thatcher as PM #TheCrown."

Another viewer bluntly posted: "Gillian Anderson’s Thatcher IS AWFUL!!!" as a third continued to highlight the portrayal discrepency and put: "Emma Corrin is so good that one can forget that she is acting, the same cannot be said of Gillian. Thatcher was 54 not 84 #TheCrown."

One then surmised: "Spoiled a good series. Very poor acting. Thatcher talking in slow motion. Poor dialogue. Utter tripe. Get season 5 right if there is 1 after this rubbish #TheCrown #TheCrownSeason4 #TheCrownNetflix."

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An annoyed viewer added: "Just watched Episode 1 of the new season of 'The Crown'. Slow and dull compared to previous opening episodes and Gillian Anderson's ridiculous comedy caricature of Thatcher was out of place in a supposedly serious drama. #TheCrown."

One then wrote: "It’s a touch unfair to portray Margaret Thatcher as she was in later life rather than how she was at the time. She is being played as a caricature of herself."

The comments rounded off with one Netflix subscriber posting: "The otherwise excellent S4 of #TheCrown is marred by Gillian Anderson's entertaining but ridiculous parody of Margaret Thatcher."

Mrs Thatcher passed away from a stroke in 2013, at her home The Ritz Hotel in London.

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Meanwhile American Gillian, who certainly looks the part in Mrs Thatcher-style blue suits, told how she let go of her "preconceived ideas" about the former politician.

She said: "I watched every video there was to be watched on her. Her manner, her religion, how she walked, talked and moved. Getting into that wig definitely helps.

"Never in my life would I wear the shoes she wore.

“But walking in the way I learned to walk as her, and in those shoes, just helped so much — and wearing the really uncomfortable nylon stockings she might have worn.

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“I swear they found them in the bottom of a box in a Salvation Army because I don’t think they make them any more.”

Mum of three Gillian added: ""It took quite some time to research her, a few months. I used to put in ear pods and listen to her interviews all day long."

As the new series enters the Eighties, Gillian described the role of Mrs Thatcher as “a pleasure."

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Netflix released all 10 episodes of the fourth season of The Crown at 8am on November 15, 2020.