Latest news with #KingAndConqueror
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Happy Valley's James Norton and Game Of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau wage war as BBC drops action-packed first trailer at period drama King & Conqueror
Happy Valley 's James Norton and Game Of Thrones ' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau wage a bloody war in the BBC 's first trailer for blockbuster period drama King & Conqueror. The upcoming eight-part series is set to hit screens this August, and tells the story of the Battle of Hastings, one of the most famous in English history. On October 14, 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, defeated England's Saxon army, killed King Harold II and seized the throne - becoming William the Conqueror. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two allies who were forced to turn on each other after they found out that King Edward the Confessor had promised both of them the crown. In King & Conqueror, James Norton plays Harold of Wessex and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau portrays William the Conqueror. The trailer shows snippets of gripping drama, and offers a glimpse of the deft exploration of the two men. Emily Beecham plays Edith Swanneck who was one of the wealthiest magnates in England before the battle, and may have been Harold's first wife. William the Conqueror's wife, Matilda of Flanders, is played by Clemence Poesy. Other stars in the series include Eddie Marsan as King Edward, Juliet Stevenson as Lady Emma, Jean-Marc Barr as King Henry and Luther Ford as Tostig. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is known for his role as Jamie Lannister, Knight of the Kingsguard, in the hit TV series Game Of Thrones. He also starred in the 2013 horror Mama, The Other Woman, Shot Caller and Nightwatch. Meanwhile James Norton played the notorious criminal Tommy Lee Royce in British crime drama Happy Valley. Other TV shows and films he has starred in include Grantchester, War & Peace and McMafia. It was previously revealed that the makers of the programme shunned England and shot all of its King & Conqueror scenes in Iceland. They used the unlikely locations of a campsite and nature reserve in Iceland, with Film In Iceland, the country's film commission, offering the production generous financial incentives. Productions that shoot in the country can claim a rebate of up to 35 per cent of total costs. Historians accept that the battle could not be filmed there because it was wooded then, but now comprises fields and hedgerows. However, they say that it could have been filmed in an area such as the New Forest. Instead, producers – who include Norton – chose Hjallaflatir, a campsite in the Icelandic nature reserve of Heiomork. The campsite's rocky appearance could hardly look more different to the terrain of the historic battlefield, both now and in the 11th century. From a series spokesperson: 'King & Conqueror is set across multiple European territories – including Normandy, France, Flanders and Norway, alongside England. Iceland was chosen for a multitude of reasons including its variety of landscapes that can represent these different parts of Europe from 1,000 years ago.'
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
King & Conqueror trailer and new picture released for epic drama starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
The trailer and a new picture have been released for King & Conqueror, a new eight-part historical epic coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One this year. The 60-second trailer shows Harold, Earl of Wessex (James Norton) and William, Duke of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as they battle for the throne alongside their respective wives, Edith Swan-neck (Emily Beecham) and Matilda (Clémence Poésy). The trailer also features allies and enemies such as King Edward (Eddie Marsan), Lady Emma (Juliet Stevenson), Morcar (Elander Moore), Gytha (Clare Holman), Tostig (Luther Ford), Queen Gunhild (Bo Bragason) and Godwin (Geoff Bell). King & Conqueror is produced by The Development Partnership, Rabbit Track Pictures, Shepherd Content, RVK Studios and CBS Studios, in association with the BBC. The series is created and written by Michael Robert Johnson with the opening episode directed by Baltasar Kormákur. The series also stars Jean-Marc Barr as King Henry, Elliott Cowan as Sweyn, Bjarne Henriksen as Earl Siward, Oliver Masucci as Baldwin, Indy Lewis as Margaret, Jason Forbes as Thane Thomas, Ingvar Sigurdsson as Fitzosbern, Ines Asserson as Judith, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Hardrada and Léo Legrand as Odo. King & Conqueror is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the English throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown. The 8x60' series is created and executive produced by Michael Robert Johnson and executive produced by James Norton and Kitty Kaletsky for Rabbit Track Pictures, Baltasar Kormákur and Magnus Sigurdsson for RVK Studios, Robert Taylor for The Development Partnership, Dave Clarke and Richard Halliwell for Shepherd Content, Lindsay Martin for CBS Studios, Ed Clarke and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Baltasar Kormákur directed the premiere episode and, as executive producer, has steered the creative across the series. King & Conqueror was acquired by Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition. The BBC has acquired broadcasting rights for the series in the United Kingdom and it is distributed outside of the UK by Paramount Global Content Distribution. King & Conqueror will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this August. Watch King & Conqueror on iPlayer and add to your Watchlist MF3 Follow for more
