Dalton delicious

The Crown's fifth season sees Princess Margaret reunited with her former lover, Group Captain Peter Townsend, played by Timothy Dalton.

Lesley Manville plays the wild Royal, and she was full of praise for the former 007:

"I had met Timothy a few times over the years, just socially, and when I knew they were going to have a Peter Townsend, I did suggest him, so I'm pleased it came to fruition. I think he's just spot-on as Peter Townsend.

"He was quite a bit older than Margaret. He was 16 years older. So, you're looking for somebody in their 70s who is still looking dashing, and I just thought he ticked the box absolutely. He came over from LA and kept saying to me, 'I'm only doing this because of you.' It's nice because we're friends now, we phone each other up.

"But I felt this enormous pressure to make it a nice time for him. Luckily, he had a lovely time. He could have done without the dancing, and I'm saying no more on that! As it happens, he did it beautifully in the end, and it looks marvellous. He was lovely to work with.

"I know this is a naughty thing to say, but there's something quite delicious about the audience thinking that Margaret's ex-lover was once James Bond. You can't help but think that because Timothy is so linked to that role, and he's happy to be linked to that role. It's very Margaret, isn't it, to be dancing with James Bond? She'd have loved it".

The latest season will document the Queen's younger sister's ongoing health woes in her final years before she died in 2002. 

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