
A number of viewers of the new Netflix series Kaleidoscope have brought to light an error in the show’s subtitles, which makes reference to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The format of the heist drama is unique, and viewers are encouraged to watch the majority of the episodes in any order they choose. Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Jai Courtney, Paz Vega, Rosaline Elbay, and Peter Mark Kendall are among the actors who appear in the cast of the show.
The premise of the show is that each episode represents a separate piece of the puzzle, with the first episode, “Black,” acting as an introduction to the notion, and the last episode, “White,” always intended to be the spectacular conclusion.
‘Green,’ ‘Violet,’ and ‘Blue’ are the names of some of the other episodes, but it was in ‘Yellow’ that a mistake in the subtitles was detected by viewers who had captions turned on. The other episodes are likewise named after colours.
A figure named Suzanne Grosvenor, who is the head banker at Duncan-Welsh, is presented to the audience by means of a voiceover somewhere around the ten-minute mark of the episode.
As Suzanne’s phone rings, the voiceover adds: ‘Word is the King’s got her on speed dial,’ but the subtitles read: ‘Word is the Queen’s got her on speed dial.’
Since filming on Kaleidoscope didn’t start until September 2021 and didn’t end until March 2022, we can deduce that any alterations to the dialogue were likely made during post-production, well in advance of the premiere of the series.
Several people spotted the slip-up, with one tweeting: ‘Oh my god they changed “Queen” to “King” in #KALEIDOSCOPE but they didn’t change the closed captions.’
‘Funny to see the subtitles say Queen but hear King in the audio. The editors are FAST,’ another remarked.
Someone else described the gaffe as a ‘huge subtitle mess up’, saying that while it was a ‘nice last minute edit’, it’s a ‘shame you left the clues’.
Another viewer pointed out that there may be several instances of TV shows or films where ‘obvious references to the Queen in the subtitles or background’ if the projects were made before her death.
During the New Year’s Day episode of Celebrity MasterChef, former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer AJ Pritchard referenced the Queen when he spoke about his festive traditions.
The 28-year-old said: ‘The thing is, I always watch the Queen do her speech. She always goes to Balmoral in Scotland and I feel like that kind of festive meal that she would definitely enjoy is what I will be cooking for John and Gregg.’
Some fans of the BBC programme suggested that the line should have been removed in the final edit, with one person tweeting: ‘Maybe AJ’s speech about the Queen should have been left on the cutting room floor.’
Kaleidoscope is available to watch on Netflix.