The play that inspired Netflix’s The Crown is streaming worldwide from today
Helen Mirren’s award-winning The Audience, which inspired Netflix’s The Crown, is now streaming worldwide alongside the acclaimed War Horse.
Fans of Netflix’s The Crown can now watch the acclaimed stage production that helped inspire the royal drama, as Helen Mirren’s award-winning performance in The Audience becomes available to stream worldwide from Thursday 22 October 2026.
The production joins National Theatre at Home, allowing audiences to experience Peter Morgan’s play about Queen Elizabeth II and her private meetings with successive British prime ministers.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, The Audience originally premiered in London’s West End in 2013 and explored many of the themes Morgan would later develop for his hugely successful Netflix series.
Helen Mirren stars as Queen Elizabeth II
Mirren portrays the Queen at different stages of her reign, exploring her relationships with political leaders and the pressures of life as Britain’s monarch.
The play imagines the confidential weekly meetings between Elizabeth II and her prime ministers, moving between different periods of British political history.
Mirren’s performance earned her the Olivier Award for Best Actress, followed by a Tony Award when the production transferred to Broadway.
Morgan subsequently created The Crown, which premiered on Netflix in 2016 and ran for six seasons, becoming one of the streaming service’s most successful historical dramas.
Viewers can find more info at www.ntathome.com, where subscription options and further information are available.
