Victoria & Abdul kneeling at a large statue of the Queen close to the Taj Mahal, talking to it and kissing its feet in respect. On 17 June 2016, it was reported that Judi Dench would play Queen Victoria in "Victoria & Abdul", a film based on the book of the same name by Shrabani Basu. Stephen Frears was set to direct. Dench had also portrayed Victoria in the 1997 film "Mrs Brown". On 5 August 2016, it was announced that Ali Fazal would play Victoria's confidant Abdul Karim, while the film would be co-produced by Working Title Films and BBC Films, and
Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria Her daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, reads a letter from Victoria to London Hospital governors, showing her concern for John Merrick, in the 1980 film "The Elephant Man". On television, Victoria has been portrayed by: "Monty Python's Flying Circus" portrays Queen Victoria as a slapstick prankster and includes a sketch in which she says "We are not amused" in German accented English. Another Monty Python sketch contains a footrace in which all the contestants are dressed as Queen Victoria. In a series of sketches portraying the Phantom Raspberry Blower, the "Two Ronnies" dress an entire squad of policemen as Queen