Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter were the picture of sophistication as they attended the world premiere for The Crown series three, held at Curzon Mayfair in west London on Wednesday evening.
Screen star Olivia, 45 – who fronts the new season as The Queen – exuded glamour in a classic black fishtail gown as she graced the red carpet alongside her co-star and Prince Philip actor Tobias Menzies.
The hit show is set to return to Netflix on Sunday with a whole new cast, including Olivia taking over from Claire Foy, 35, and Broadchurch actor Tobias, 45, replacing Matt Smith, 37.
Leading ladies: Olivia Colman (L) and Helena Bonham Carter (R) were the picture of sophistication as they attended the world premiere for The Crown series three, held at Curzon Mayfair in west London on Wednesday evening
As the show moves forward in time, the cast of seasons one and two have been replenished with new faces alongside screen star Olivia as an older Queen.
Season three largely reflects the era of Harold Wilson, who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970 and then from 1974 to 1976, when he resigned for health reasons.
Leading character Olivia will play the steely and constrained monarch as she faces her darkest time on the throne yet as she battles the miners’ strike, national security, sibling rivalry and family conflict ahead of her 1977 Silver Jubilee.
The Crown, the first Netflix global original programme to be produced and filmed in the UK, has been a huge hit and won Claire a Best Actress Emmy.
Co-stars: Screen star Olivia, 45 – who fronts the new season as The Queen – exuded glamour in a classic black fishtail gown as she graced the red carpet alongside her co-star and Prince Philip actor Tobias Menzies
Dazzling: The Favourite star pulled out all the stops for the glitzy event in her floor-length ensemble, which featured short flowy sleeves and a dramatic train, which she held onto throughout her red carpet appearance
Fan favourite: The media personality took time out of her red carpet appearance to take selfies with eager fans
Beaming: Olivia – who was dubbed The New Queen Of Hollywood earlier this year – flashed a wide smile as she continued to take photos with fans
Cheery: The leading ladies appeared in great spirits as they took snaps with handsome Tobias, who looked dapper in a grey three-piece suit, consisting of a checked blazer, a matching waistcoat and straight-leg trousers
Olivia recently told how the writing on the new series is ‘just as good’ as what fans have come to expect. Speaking in a new featurette for the series, the thespian told how she was already a huge fan of the critically acclaimed drama before joining the cast.
‘I was such a fan of series one and two. The writing is beautiful and I was thrilled that it carried on being just as good as I’d hoped,’ she said.
With The Crown returning to Netflix this month, anticipation has been building around the release, particularly as all of the principal cast has been changed.
In good spirits: The TV and film actress was in her element as she greeted onlookers with a beaming smile
Helena spoke of the relatable nature of the characters in the featurette, saying: ‘It’s basically about a family and that’s why we relate to it, yet in extraordinary circumstances. Yet they’re having very ordinary reactions to.’
Addressing the relationship between Elizabeth and Margaret, the actress added: ‘There’s a lot of rivalry. She really loved her sister, profoundly. I think they regretted that there wasn’t enough of that closeness.’
Creator Peter Morgan admitted he was confident Olivia would shine in the role, saying: ‘I had no doubts that Olivia could do it.
‘She’s amazing to watch and the new cast didn’t bother me, it was how to make the new cast feel like it was the same show. I wanted it to feel that it was seamless and I think it does.’
Promising plenty of conflict in the new series, he added: ‘The crown rearranges everything within that family.
‘It rearranges precedence, principles and priorities. They can’t be who they might want to be or indeed, who they are best suited to be.’