Netflix Show Receives Backlash After Making Fun of Prince Philip’s Death at 99
Charlie Brooker’s “Death to 2021” was recently slammed by royal fans for taking its jokes a “step too far”.
Prince Philip Retitled “The Duke of Deadinburgh” in New Mockumentary
The show is the second installment of last year’s round-up of annual events created by writer and satirist Charlie Brooker, 50.
The program, which features Annabel Jones as co-writer, poked fun at major events which happened in 2021. And while fans loved most of its satiric comedies, there was one “distasteful” joke that provoked them.
After showing the doom and gloom of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the program turned its attention towards poking fun at the royal family and the tough year they’ve endured.
A couple of clips from Meghan and Harry’s 2-hour tell-all interview with Oprah, which was released in March, was played before a voiceover said: “After the interview, Prince Philip withdraws from public life permanently, by dying.
“Millions watched the funeral of his Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke Of Deadinburgh.”
Many found the joke tasteless and annoying, especially after the Queen spent a “lonely” Christmas without her husband for the first time in over 7 decades.
One Twitter user lashed out at the show for its demeaning portrayal of Philip’s death, writing that the joke “was a touch too far and maybe a little distasteful.”
Another wrote: “DeathTo2021 is terribly brilliant and chaotic, the Prince Phillip gag was maybe a step too far, though.” Someone else added that the late Duke “deserves much more respect”.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Lucrative Netflix Deal Questioned by Royal Fans
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently under a £112 million contract, which they signed last year, with Netflix. The deal will see the couple producing documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and animation movies for children. The pair are currently working on an animation series and a documentary for the streamer.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been tackled by royal fans in the past for remaining silent over the streamer’s degrading portrayal of his late mother Princess Diana in the musical drama “Diana: The Musical”.
There were also calls by the late Princess’s fans, which encouraged the pair to drop their Netflix deal, following Diana’s close friend Jemima Khan’s exit from “The Crown” series over “disrespectful” representation of Diana.
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