You won’t believe how much TV drama the BBC made for the same cost as ‘The Crown’

The BBC’s press office posted a tweet this week taking aim at how expensive The Crown is to make.

Netflix’s award-winning period drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom debuted in November 2016 and the new season begins filming this month, with the show’s entire cast being replaced with older actors.

The first two seasons of The Crown reportedly cost £97 million to produce, for just 20 hours of TV.

The BBC has boasted that it made 18 different drama series for the same amount of money, including Poldark, Peaky Blinders, Call the Midwife, Sherlock, Doctor Foster, Our Girl, Line of Duty and Death in Paradise – a total of 85 hours of TV.

The BBC also points out that its own dramas were seen by 74% of UK adults, compared to the 14% of UK adults who watched The Crown.

We love all these shows, but it’s fascinating to see how far the crazy budget of The Crown can go.

As the BBC is funded by the British public with a licence fee, the corporation is frequently encouraged to justify its spending.

Season 3 of The Crown is expected to premiere on Netflix in early 2019.