The Crown's executive producer Andy Harries has admitted that he is uncertain when the fifth season of the show can begin filming due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Netflix series, which charts the illustrious reign of The Queen, managed to wrap filming of its fourth season before the lockdown kicked in a couple of months ago.

Season four is on track to be released on the streaming platform at the end of the year, but production on the fifth and final season - due to start this summer - is now up in the air.

"I hate to be doomy and gloomy because I am an optimistic guy," Harries told a BAFTA Masterclass session. "Every day is a new challenge and every day you've got to be up for that challenge and you have got to plow on.

"Obviously we are facing challenging times and I don't know when we will return to filming normally. I am not sure if we can film socially distanced. I am sure some productions could do it but I am not sure that the shows we are doing would work, but we are looking at it very closely.

"Obviously we don't know how long this will go on. It's going to be hard to because I suspect that, because all the big broadcasters will be losing a lot of money, a lot of productions will be trimmed back – a lot of budgets will be trimmed. It will be tough for producers and it's hard to pretend otherwise, I am sorry to say."

The final season will see Imelda Staunton succeed Olivia Colman as the long-serving monarch, following her reign from the late '90s into the early 21st century.