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King & Conqueror

(Redirected from King and Conqueror)

King & Conqueror is a epic historical drama television series created by Michael Robert Johnson for BBC One and starring James Norton as Harold Godwinson and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William, Duke of Normandy, depicting the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England. It premiered on 24 August 2025.

King & Conqueror
GenreHistorical drama
Created byMichael Robert Johnson
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Music byHögni Egilsson
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Kitty Kaletsky
  • James Norton
  • Robert Taylor
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
  • Michael Robert Johnson
  • Lindsey Martin
  • Dave Clarke
  • Richard Halliwell
  • Ed Clarke
  • Magnús Viðar Sigurðsson
  • Baltasar Kormákur
ProducerRobert Jones
EditorSigurður Eyþórsson
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release24 August 2025 (2025-08-24) –
present

Premise

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In 11th-century England, the king Edward the Confessor is on the throne but without an heir. Starting out as allies, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, and William, Duke of Normandy, become bitter enemies as they fight for control of the English throne.[1]

Cast and characters

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Main

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Supporting

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [2]UK viewers
(millions)
1"Invitation"Baltasar KormákurMichael Robert Johnson24 August 2025 (2025-08-24)TBA
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.
2"The Sins of the Father"Bálint SzentgyörgyiMichael Robert Johnson25 August 2025 (2025-08-25)TBA
3"Brothers"Bálint SzentgyörgyiMichael Robert Johnson & David Mar Stefansson31 August 2025 (2025-08-31)TBA
4"So Be It"Bálint SzentgyörgyiSam Hoare7 September 2025 (2025-09-07)TBA
5"The Beast in the Mirror"Nikolaj Coster-WaldauMichael Robert Johnson14 September 2025 (2025-09-14)TBA
6"Damage"Erik LeijonborgRachel Kilfeather21 September 2025 (2025-09-21)TBA
7"Cost of War"Erik LeijonborgDavid Mar Stefansson28 September 2025 (2025-09-28)TBA
8"The Hand of God"Erik LeijonborgMichael Robert Johnson5 October 2025 (2025-10-05)TBA

Production

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The series premiere is set to be directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Other episodes will be helmed by Erik Leijonborg and Bálint Szentgyörgyi.[3] James Norton is an executive producer through Rabbit Track Pictures and stars as Harold Godwinson. Other executive producers include 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] Also in November 2023, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was announced to portray William, Duke of Normandy.[5] Norton initially wanted to portray William, but due to contract restrictions from his role in HBO's The Nevers, he took the part of Harold, as HBO only permitted him to take on a character written to die.[6]

In March 2024, Clémence Poésy and Emily Beecham joined the series.[7] Later that month, the cast was rounded out to include Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Bo Bragason, Luther Ford, and Joseph Mawle, amongst others.[8] In July 2024, it was announced that Ingvar Sigurdsson had taken over the role of Fitzosbern from Mawle.[9] Further cast members were revealed, including Elander Moore, Indy Lewis, Jason Forbes, Ines Asserson, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, and Léo Legrand.[10]

Filming began in March 2024 in Iceland,[11][12] at locations that included Heiðmörk and around Reykjavík.[13] It wrapped up in July 2024.[14] During production, Norton was injured while on set after falling from his horse.[15]

In discussing the series, 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."[16] He also noted that the show portrays the participants of both sides in a fair light and as equals.[17] Waldau described the programme as being partly fictionalised, with some characters and events created for dramatic purposes.[18]

Broadcast

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The series premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2025.[19][20] Paramount Global Content Distribution will handle worldwide distribution.[21] In August 2025, Paramount announced that it had sold the series to various broadcasters, including Amazon Prime Video in the United States; HBO Max in the Nordics, Iberia, Southeast Asia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; SBS in Australia; Jiohotstar in India; Showcase and StackTV in Canada; M-Net in Africa; Streamz and Be TV in Belgium; Cosmote TV in Greece; yes and Hot in Israel; Sky in New Zealand; and LRT in Lithuania.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cordero, Rosy (28 November 2023). "James Norton & Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to Lead New CBS Studios Drama Series 'King and Conqueror'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  2. ^ Hornbuckle, Jon (24 August 2025). "Where was King & Conqueror filmed? The unexpected filming locations behind the BBC historical drama". Time Out. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  3. ^ Blevins, Adam (15 July 2024). "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau & James Norton's King and Conqueror Just Got a Major Update". Collider. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  4. ^ "New historical drama King and Conqueror, starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, to premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer". BBC Media Centre (Press release). 28 November 2025. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  5. ^ Hibberd, James (28 November 2023). "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to Play William the Conqueror in 'King and Conqueror' TV Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  6. ^ Yossman, K.J. (4 December 2024). "HBO Only Allowed James Norton to Join Middle Ages Drama Series 'King and Conqueror' on Condition His Character 'Must Die'". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 January 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  7. ^ Yossman, K.J. (5 March 2024). "Clémence Poésy, Emily Beecham Join James Norton in Period Drama 'King and Conqueror'". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  8. ^ Shafer, Ellise; Yossman, K.J. (18 March 2024). "'The Crown's' Luther Ford, 'Game of Thrones' Actor Joseph Mawle and More Join Period Drama 'King & Conqueror' (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  9. ^ Yossman, K.J. (15 July 2024). "'The Northman' Star Ingvar Sigurdsson Replaces Joseph Mawle as Middle Ages Drama 'King & Conqueror' Rounds Out Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  10. ^ Ford, Lily (15 July 2024). "Elander Moore, Indy Lewis, Jason Forbes Join 'King & Conqueror' Series as Filming Wraps in Iceland". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  11. ^ "King & Conqueror – further casting announced as filming begins on new period drama for BBC". BBC Media Centre (Press release). 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  12. ^ Geisinger, Gabriela (1 December 2023). "James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Walden historical drama sets filming date". Screen Global Production. Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  13. ^ Tómas, Ragnar (6 December 2023). "Baltasar's New Series Recreates Battle of Hastings in Iceland". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  14. ^ Turner, Laura Jane (15 July 2024). "James Norton's new BBC period drama shares update and new cast". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  15. ^ Goldbart, Max (18 August 2025). "James Norton Reveals He Broke His Collarbone During King and Conqueror Filming". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  16. ^ Jonze, Tim (9 August 2025). "'There's a thug in all of us': James Norton on privacy, playing villains and pushing himself to the limit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  17. ^ Moore, Matthew (19 August 2025). "James Norton makes solemn promise about 'extraordinary' new BBC drama". Hello! Magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  18. ^ "The BBC's William the Conqueror: We've taken liberties with our 1066 drama". The Times. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  19. ^ "New King & Conqueror images released as BBC air date confirmed". BBC Media Centre. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  20. ^ "King & Conqueror trailer and new picture released for epic drama starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau". BBC. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  21. ^ "King & Conqueror Series: Check out what we know about cast, plot, episode count, production team and filming". The Economic Times. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  22. ^ Clarke, Stewart (4 August 2025). "Period Epic 'King & Conqueror' Sells to Prime Video U.S. and Scores of International Buyers Including HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
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