The Crown In Crisis

- Ian Macewan

When Tim Pigott-Smith died last month, he was as busy as ever. The 70-year-old, who was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List, had recently appeared in BBC1’s Decline and Fall and was rehearsing for a stage production of Death of a Salesman.

King Charles III, showing on BBC2 this week, was the last TV project he finished before his death, and serves as an apt tribute to the actor’s illustrious career.

Adapted from the play by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster), the feature-length drama sees Pigott-Smith reprising his acclaimed stage performance as the real-life Prince of Wales. He triggers a constitutional crisis when he comes to the throne by refusing to sign a bill restricting press freedom.