Is Netflix's £100m series The Crown worth the hype? The public reaction so far

The Crown is the colossal £100m Netflix recreation of the lives, scandals and stories of our British Royal family. The glitzy makeover of Queen Elizabeth II's reign has been praised by critics as the first season recounts the Queen as a 25-year-old catapulted onto the throne in the wake of her beloved father King George VI's death.

But as the popular streaming giant has gone the extra mile for its new 10-part, explosive series that is undoubtedly its biggest project to date – was it worth all the hype and money?

Starring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as Prince Philip, we are treated to the beginnings of the royal couple's love story in the first of Netflix's planned six seasons.

It goes right back to the moment Elizabeth was transformed from a princess into a queen following the death of King George in February 1952.

A young Princess Elizabeth was enjoying a holiday with Prince Philip in a Kenyan tree house when she received the news of her father's death. It subsequently documents the monarch's life as she ascends the throne and forges a relationship with Prime Minister Winston Churchill – played by John Lithgow.

So what has the public made of the series released in full on Netflix today (4 November)?

On Twitter, there is a deluge of viewers' commentaries. One user simply wrote: "#thecrown is gooooood" while another has already praised Lithgow's performance, gushing: "John Lithgow in anything is brilliant but seeing him playing Winston Churchill in #thecrown is just utterly spellbinding @NetflixUK."

All you need to know about The Crown

A third added: "Someone deserves an award for all the detailed accurateness. #TheCrown". A strong hint that Netflix's regal production has stayed close to the truth.

Others are predicting their weekends will be filled with binge-watching the exciting new series, with one person writing: "Will try to pace myself with the #thecrown but know it's going to turn into another "where-did-my-weekend-go?" binge fest".

See more of the reaction below. Season one of The Crown is available to watch on Netflix now.