The Crown: Gillian Anderson shares behind-the-scenes look at Margaret Thatcher transformation

Anderson has been praised for her appearance as Thatcher

Gillian Anderson has given fans a behind-the-scenes look at her first day on set of The Crown.

The Sex Education actor, who plays Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s historical drama, marked series four’s release on Sunday (15 November) by sharing a series of new photos to Instagram.

Taken on her first day on set of The Crown, the pictures depict Anderson’s transformation into Thatcher, with the first seeing her take a mirror selfie in her trailer, where photos of the politician cover the walls.

Other pictures show close ups of the character’s costume details, including her black patent ballet flats and a selection of gold jewellery laid out on the side.

In another, Anderson reclines on a sofa with her legs up, with Thatcher’s trademark blue knee-length skirt visible.

The Crown series four debuted on Netflix this weekend, with fans meeting Anderson’s Thatcher for the first time as the politician came face to face with Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman).

However, her appearance left many fans conflicted, with one viewer tweeting: “Having a hard time separating my hatred of Margret Thatcher, to my hard crush of Gillian Anderson.”

“If anyone needs me today I’ll be having several conflicting emotions about Gillian Anderson in the Crown,” another viewer tweeted.

The Crown is available to stream on Netflix now.