Olivia Colman: ‘Gillian Anderson will take your breath away as Margaret Thatcher’

Olivia Colman has heaped praise on her The Crown co-star Gillian Anderson's performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Anderson makes her debut in the forthcoming fourth season of the Netflix royal drama as Thatcher, opposite Colman's Queen Elizabeth II and, speaking to the AP News agency, she insists the actress will "take your breath away" as the controversial politician.

"Most of the Prime Minister (and) Queen scenes are in one room, so they tend to do all of those scenes in one week," explains the actress. "That's a lot of words. But Gillian is incredible at knowing all of her words and terrifying at looking exactly like Margaret Thatcher.

"Hair and make-up and wardrobe are all so brilliant - you disappear, they do their thing, you come out and it's spooky," adds The Favourite star, who goes on to gush of Anderson: "She's gonna take your breath away, she's amazing!"

Season four of The Crown will follow the British royal family as the 1970s ends and the U.K. is divided by Thatcher's policies - with Prince Charles' romance with Lady Diana Spencer providing a welcome distraction for both the public, and the Queen, as she looks to her heir to secure the line of succession to the throne.

The new episodes debut on Netflix on 15 November.