IT IS the new multimillion-pound television series and part of it is being filmed in Hampshire.

Costing £100 million, The Crown is the most expensive TV series to be filmed in England – and part of that mindblowing budget will be spent on “blowing up” a Winchester street this weekend.

The epic Netflix drama will span 60 episodes over six series and centres on the Queen and the monarch’s younger years, it stars Claire Foy as Elizabeth in her early years and former Dr Who, Matt Smith as a young Prince Philip.

A film crew will descend on College Street and Kingsgate Street, which are being used for an explosion scene tomorrow and scenes will be filmed in The Great Hall on Monday.

A member of the film crew confirmed that the stars of the show are going to be in the city on both days.

The show is written by Peter Morgan who also wrote Frost/Nixon and the 2006 Oscar-winning film, The Queen, It will focus on Queen’s early reign, revealing personal intrigues, romances and political rivalries behind certain events that shaped the second half of the 20th Century.

The news comes after Hampshire has been seen as a premiere destination for film and TV shows, in 2013, scenes from Mission Impossible 5 were filmed at Fawley Power Station, while in June 2014 the sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard at Southampton’s Docks as TV show 24 was filmed there.

Leader of Winchester City Council, Stephen Godfrey, said: “I think it is tremendous news that Winchester has been selected as a venue, it is good for promoting the wonders of our ancient heritage and our beautiful city needs showing off on any occasion.”

Filming of The Crown will see Cornflowers Gift Shop close on Sunday as it is boarded up as a result of the “explosion”, and there will be no parking in College Street from Friday till Monday, 7am till 9pm.

The show will premier on Netflix this year, although a date has not yet been announced.