Brits officially crown Dame Helen Mirren best ‘Queen on Screen’
- 66% of Brits say Mirren’s performance in The Queen is their favourite of Queen Elizabeth II
- Olivia Colman, Claire Foy, Julie Walters and Maggie Sullivan complete top five queens
- Research commissioned to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee
- TalkTalk offers 4K TV Box customers free voucher to rent wide range of royal films*
Dame Helen Mirren has beaten off competition including Olivia Colman, Claire Foy and Julie Walters to be named country’s favourite on-screen Queen Elizabeth II, according to new research* from connectivity provider TalkTalk.
Her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in 2006’s The Queen, was chosen by two thirds (66%) of Brits as their favourite depiction of the record-serving Monarch, narrowly beating Olivia Colman’s portrayal in series 3 and 4 of Netflix drama The Crown.
The country’s top five on-screen depictions of the Queen are a who’s who of British acting talent:
- Dame Helen Mirren – The Queen (66% of Brits said it was their favourite portrayal)
- Olivia Colman – The Crown (64%)
- Claire Foy – The Crown (51%)
- Julie Walters – The Queen’s Corgi (30%)
- Maggie Sullivan – Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance (18%)
Mirren received widespread acclaim for her performance and was awarded the 2006 Academy Award for best actress. In 2013 she received both a Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award for portraying Queen Elizabeth II on stage in The Audience, demonstrating her talent for portraying the historic monarch.
TalkTalk’s research suggests that the realism of Mirren’s performance was crucial to her winning the crown, with over a third (34%) of Brits saying her performance was the most realistic.
Interestingly, Claire Foy (22%) was viewed as being a more believable Queen than Olivia Colman (18%), perhaps suggesting that the latter’s national treasure and Oscar-winning status swung some overall votes her way.
More than three quarters of Brits (78%) intend to watch a royal film or TV series this weekend to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, and many will be able to watch Mirren’s award-winning performance in The Queen for free, courtesy of TalkTalk and Netgem TV.
Until Sunday 5 June, TalkTalk’s 4K TV customers will be able to use a Rakuten TV voucher worth £4.50 to rent films across the platform*, including royal titles: The Queen, Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, Spencer, and The Queen’s Corgi.
Lindsey China, Head of TV Partnerships at TalkTalk said: “There have been so many iconic portrayals of Queen Elizabeth II – who is herself an icon – but Dame Helen Mirren’s crown is hugely deserved. We hope that this voucher will help our customers to celebrate this historic Platinum Jubilee weekend in a style befitting the Queen.”
TalkTalk recently launched its new 4K TV Box, powered by Netgem TV, offering an unrivalled selection of ultra-high-definition entertainment for just £4 a month. The new TV Box offers Ultra High Definition 4K viewing for the greatest at home entertainment experience. Customers can access 70+ channels and on-demand players through Netgem TV, the award-winning digital entertainment service provider, with more apps and streaming services at their fingertips – a faster, simpler way to watch content through one box.
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