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The Queen was a 2009 British drama-documentary showing Queen Elizabeth II at different points during her life. Broadcast on Channel 4 over five consecutive nights from 29 November 2009, the Queen was portrayed by a different actress in each episode. The Queen was portrayed by Emilia Fox, Samantha Bond, Susan Jameson, Barbara Flynn and Diana Quick. Katie McGrath played Princess Margaret in the first episode and Lesley Manville played Margaret Thatcher in the third episode. The series was co-funded by the American Broadcasting Company, the network which aired the series in the US. This reunited Emilia Fox and Katie McGrath who had played sisters in BBC One's Merlin.
When, after the sudden death of her father, the Queen (played by Emilia Fox) was catapulted on to the throne in 1952, she had no inkling that the greatest scandal she was about to face would come from within her own household.
Samantha Bond takes on the role of the Queen in this second episode. Britain came as close to becoming a republic in the early 1970s as it has ever done in modern times. The polls recorded the highest figures ever for those who were opposed to the monarchy. For the first time, the royal family was under pressure to be accountable to the people, in terms of how they lived their lives and spent their money.
This episode lifts the lid on the hidden conflict between the Queen (played by Susan Jameson) and her first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (played by Lesley Manville).
Barbara Flynn takes on the role of the Queen as her Annus Horribilis of 1992 turns the spotlight on her role as Head of the Royal Family and reveals how she coped with a catalogue of scandals involving her family, which until then had been perceived as a model for the nation.
The final film shows the Queen (played by Diana Quick) confronting one last personal and constitutional challenge: Prince Charles' desire to marry Camilla Parker Bowles.
