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Netflix’s most recent original series is a 10 part biopic of Queen Elizabeth II, focusing more specifically on her ascendance to the throne and her early years as ruler.

The pacing of The Crown is deliberately slow – Her Majesty doesn’t even take the throne until the start of the third episode. Yet the pace never drags; merely watching the characters interact with one another, even regarding seemingly unimportant events, is enormously satisfying. This is in large part due to the brilliant writing of Peter Morgan, who obviously revels in detailing the lives of the current Royal family, having also penned the screenplay for The Queen, as well as writing the hit play The Audience, exploring the nature of the Queen’s relationships with a myriad of Prime Ministers.

Ms. Windsor is brilliantly brought to the screen by Claire Foy, who plays the monarch with an understated brilliance, being very much the contrast to her husband’s, Prince Philip’s (Matt Smith), supercilious behaviour. The real star of the show, however, is undoubtedly John Lithgow’s rendition of Winston Churchill. Lithgow is a first-class character actor, having brought to life such luminaries as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Blake Edwards. However, this may be his best performance since his back-to-back Academy Award nominations for The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment. His incarnation of Britain’s most famous Prime Minister is far from sympathetic, and he beautifully captures the moral ambiguity of a man capable of great heroism and also great cruelty – doubly impressive when one considers that Lithgow is not a native of the United Kingdom.

Finally, and perhaps most impressively, the cinematography is absolutely beautiful. So far, this is the most expensive Netflix original series and it certainly shows in the breathtaking set pieces; most notable are Windsor Castle and the recreation of the “Great Smog” of 1952. The latter is portrayed as wonderfully claustrophobic, giving a real insight into what life must have been like for those trapped in London at that time.

A series I would highly recommend.