The Crown will run to six seasons after all, Netflix has announced.

The epic drama, which documents the long life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was originally conceived as a six-season project but earlier this year it was revealed that it will end after season five, which is due to begin filming soon.

Creator Peter Morgan has now reversed that decision, however, having realised that there is too much material remaining to cram into one season.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," he said.

"To be clear, series six will not bring us any closer to present day - it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

Season five will see Imelda Staunton take over from Olivia Colman as The Queen, with Lesley Manville playing her sister Princess Margaret.

Cindy Holland, Netflix's vp of original content, said: "The Crown keeps raising the bar with each new season. We can't wait for audiences to see the upcoming fourth season, and we're proud to support Peter's vision and the phenomenal cast and crew for a sixth and final season."

The fifth and sixth seasons will cover the 1990s and the early 21st century, with events of the last decade - including Prince Harry's exit as a senior royal and Prince Andrew's part in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal - playing no part in the series.

Season four is scheduled for release later this year.