‘The Crown’ Star Says Martin Bashir Was A Victim Of Racism At BBC, Defends Decision To Include Diana Panorama Interview
deadline.comThe Crown controversy has taken another turn ahead of the arrival of Season 5 this week on Netflix. Following the disapproval voiced by several public figures of producers’ focus on the tumultuous events within the British monarchy of the 1990s – divorces, books, interviews, leaked telephone calls with lovers and even a terrible fire destroying priceless art at Windsor Castle – one of the new season’s stars has whipped up debate in another direction.
Prasanna Puwanarajah plays Martin Bashir, the BBC journalist who landed the scoop of the decade in sitting down with Princess Diana for her only solo feature-length interview, in which she famously said, “there were three in this marriage so it was a bit crowded” and admitted to her own infidelity.
Bashir has been completely discredited in recent years, as his methods of securing the interview – including presenting fake bank statements to the Princess’s brother to support his claims that her staff were being paid to spy on her – have come to light.
Following an inquiry, the BBC has returned the BAFTA award it won for the programme, and pledged never to show the interview on screen again.
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