In 1042, Edward the Confessor is crowned king, putting an end to a decade of civil war between England's most powerful families. Harold Godwinson's father, Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was unwilling to listen to his son's concerns about the royals, clashes with Edward's mother, Lady Emma, at the coronation, while Harold forms a connection with William after rescuing him from bandits on the road to London. William is shocked when Emma turns on Harold's family at Edward's coronation. Edith, Harold's wife, uncovers a plot by Emma to destroy the House of Wessex, since Emma is determined that a child with Wessex blood will not ascend the throne, as the new king is unable to bring stability during his reign by not fathering an heir.
The series premiere was directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Other episodes were helmed by Erik Leijonborg and Bálint Szentgyörgyi.[3]James Norton was an executive producer through Rabbit Track Pictures and starred as Harold Godwinson. Other executive producers included Kormákur for RVK Studios, Robert Taylor for the Development Partnership, Dave Clarke and Richard Halliwell for Shepherd Content, Ed Clarke, Robert Jones, and CBS Studios' Lindsey Martin.[4]
Filming began in March 2024 in Iceland,[11][12] at locations that included Heiðmörk and around Reykjavík.[13] The Battle of Hastings scenes were shot on a farm at Hvalfjörður. The stockades of the Norman castle exterior and scenes in London were filmed on film sets built on the coast just outside Reykjavík.[14] Shooting wrapped up in July 2024.[15] During production, Norton was injured while on set after falling from his horse.[16]
Critics of King & Conqueror addressed the depiction of the historical events of the Norman Conquest. Rebecca Nicholson of the Financial Times found the series "ambitious and earthy" but considered that it was not a convincing attempt at "dramatising a period that is so infrequently dramatised".[22] Carol Midgley of The Times remarked on the artistic license taken by the production with various historical details, calling it "historical tosh" but "still entertaining".[23] Writing in The Independent, Nick Hilton expressed dissatisfaction with the series' focus on fictional content and contrasted its scant portrayal of 11th-century England with the "world building" of fantasy productions.[24] Tilly Pearce of The i Paper praised the acting of Norton and Coster-Waldau, stating that the drama's success lay in their " powerhouse performances".[25]
Historical accuracy
Bayeux Tapestry
Two noted details recorded in the Bayeux Tapestry are incorporated into the drama of King & Conqueror.
Many of the characters in King & Conqueror were actual historical figures, with an additional cast of fictional characters added to the drama.[26]
The portrayal of historical events in King & Conqueror attracted commentary from critics and historians. Discussing the series, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau described the programme as being partly fictionalised, with some characters and events created for dramatic purposes.[27] Writing in the Radio Times, historian David Musgrove considered the blend of historical fact and fictionalised drama, remarking that the names of some characters had to be changed to avoid "too many people called the same thing" and that some important historical figures were entirely left out to support narrative pacing.[28]
Tom Licence and other critics questioned the depiction of an apparent bromance between Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy.[29][23] Actor James Norton stated that, "I wasn't aware of the relationship Harold and William had before the battle, that they were friends and allies for many years before they realised that, because of the way Europe was being carved up, they would both inevitably end up on a battlefield — and one of them would have to die."[30] He also noted that the show portrays the participants of both sides in a fair light and as equals.[31]
Writing in BBC History magazine, Kev Lochun noted numerous historical inaccuracies in the series: William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson are shown as both present at the coronation of Edward the Confessor in 1043 (their first meeting is thought to have been in 1065); Matilda of Flanders is inaccurately portrayed as a torturer; the capture of Edith the Fair by the Mercians did not take place; and Edward the Confessor did not beat his mother to death with his crown, but confiscated her assets and sent her to live in Winchester. Lochun also considers the crucial question, if Edward the Confessor named his distant cousin William of Normandy to succeed him as King of England. Lochun argues that Edward probably made the offer to William, but several years earlier in 1051. It is also considered likely that, by the time of his death, Edward favoured Edgar Ætheling as his successor, but as Lochum notes, Edgar does not appear at all in King & Conqueror. There is also no record that Harold killed his brother Tostig.[32]
The appearance of Halley's Comet in the closing episodes of the series is derived from historical fact, and its presence in the sky is notably depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Another well-known detail from the Bayeux Tapestry is the apparent death of King Harold with an arrow in his eye. This popular understanding has more recently been questioned by scholars, but King & Conqueror works the myth into the closing scenes as an addition to Harold's corpse by William.[32]
The script of King & Conqueror attracted some critical commentary for its use of "modern language and phrases".[clarification needed][33]
The racially diverse cast was also noted by critics. Craig Simpson of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the BBC had adopted colour-blind casting for King & Conqueror, with Black actors such as Jason Forbes playing the fictional character Thane Thomas and Elander Moore playing the Mercian Morcar, commenting that England was "ethnically homogeneous" in 1066. The casting was also criticised by historical scholars Zareer Masani and David Abulafia.[34]
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