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BBC is bringing to the screen the epic story of the Battle of Hastings with King and Conqueror. The period drama will star James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The series will follow the story of the battle for the English throne, with Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex (played by Norton), and William, Duke of Normandy (played by Coster-Waldau), taking center stage. The historical battle that took place in 1066 was instrumental in shaping England’s landscape.
The King and Conqueror was confirmed in November 2023, and filming for the show started in February 2025 in Iceland. CBS Studios and the BBC will produce the series. Norton and Coster-Waldau also act as executive producers on the show.
The drama series is written by Sherlock Holmes fame Michael Robert Johnson and will comprise eight episodes in total. The first episode is directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Norton spoke about shooting for the new show. As per Collider, he said:
“I'm currently in the middle of the shoot. My blonde hair, it looks a little anachronistic, but when I'm in my full medieval garbs, it makes more sense. My family are all light haired, so it's been a real experience. As I say, we're probably nearing halfway now. We shot in Iceland.”
The series also stars Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Jean-Marc Barr, Luther Ford, Geoff Bell, Elliott Cowan, Bo Bragason, and Bjarne Henriksen, among others. Norton shared:
“It’s a wonderful cast — Juliet Stevenson, Eddie Marsan, Emily Beecham, Clémence Poésy. A beautiful group of actors, a really lovely ensemble. Bálint Szentgyörgyi is at the helm, and it’s a deep dive into the history. An incredible amount of it is true, so we haven't had to veer really far off the actual truth and the drama and the sort of soap opera aspect to it. It is just incredible.”
What is King and Conqueror about?
The story follows the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which holds a great significance to the history of England. Harold Godwinson is named the heir to the throne of England. He precedes his brother-in-law, King Edward. Harold was the crown King for nine months.
Things turn for the worse when other people come forward to claim the throne. William the Conqueror, a duke from Normandy, challenges the newly appointed King and readies to wage war against him. At the end, Harold is killed by Norman invaders, and William the Conqueror emerges victorious.
Norton shared that he found the story fascinating and wanted to share the events of the battle through the show.
“In England, it's the first date we learn — 1066, Battle of Hastings. No one really knows much more about it than that, but it's one of the first things we learned so everyone has a relationship with it, including me. What's continued to propel us forward is the characters. It's this incredible gallery of really interesting characters, all real people from history. So, I'm not a history nut, but I've become more and more engaged with it.”
King and Conqueror will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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