OPINION: American audiences likely to believe ‘a barrel load of nonsense’

Have you ever heard of Reed Hastings or Marc Randolph? They founded Netflix in California in 1997. In 2021 they had a net income of $5.116 billion, and a revenue of $29.7 billion. They are now putting on a further edition of The Crown and John Major has described its content as “a barrel load of nonsense.”

Now, in fairness, you wouldn’t expect me to take on an organisation that wealthy and that successful. On the other hand I strongly believe – as the large majority of my fellow citizens do – that we are very lucky to have a royal family.

The Crown is described by Netflix as a “fictional dramatisation” and between the series and the forthcoming memories of Prince Harry, the Royal family  are not getting an unblemished acclamation.

If John Major says it’s a barrel load of nonsense, he was the prime minister at the time the new series covers, and I choose to believe him rather than the vague “inspired by real events” to which Netflix refers.

I mean Jack the Ripper was a real event but, at least, it is not suggested that there is a serial killer in the Palace.

We are very fortunate to have our royal family. In hundreds of years they haven’t sent the country’s wealth to numbered Swiss bank accounts as so many international dictators do.

To achieve credibility Netflix will have to be a lot clearer about where they got their information and until that happens, we can use our option to totally disregard what is put before us. After all, who was going to peddle the story of the alleged discussion between Major and King Charles? Hardly King Charles and there would have been nobody else present except Major.

Netflix has, on occasions over the past 25 years, had its own problems. There was, for example, “13 reasons why” in 2017 which dealt with the suicide of a young girl. The National Association of School Psychologists were concerned in the New York Times that showing it might result in an increase in the suicide rate.

A programme called Cuties in 2020, which dealt with a girl’s coming of age, saw Senator Josh Hawley write to Reed Hastings to come to Congress to discuss the film. A small Texas grand jury indicted Netflix for promoting lewd material in Cuties in 2020. In addition two Netflix employees were sent to jail for insider trading in 2021 and there have been other embarrassments.

The monarchy cost us £104 million in 2021 and there are 67 million of us. So it costs each one of us approximately £1.50 a year. Are we agreed that is not unreasonable? I’d pay that for the King’s address on Christmas Day.

Alright, in a large organisation there are going to be things that go wrong. But with a profit of billions surely you can lay down rules on what subjects are forbidden – and the British royal family should be top of the list.

We are very fortunate to have our royal family. In hundreds of years they haven’t sent the country’s wealth to numbered Swiss bank accounts as so many international dictators do.

By their very presence at events like opening a new school or a major swimming pool, they reward the people who have put in the effort to make it come true. They have made the Commonwealth a family of nations and our major national events – Trooping the Colour, the opening of parliament, the ceremony at the Cenotaph  – take on additional importance because the monarch is there.

The monarchy cost us £104 million in 2021 and there are 67 million of us. So it costs each one of us approximately £1.50 a year. Are we agreed that is not unreasonable? I’d pay that for the King’s address on Christmas Day.

The major market for Netflix is America, our major ally, and they are likely to believe “a barrel load of nonsense”. That’s the danger.