King makers


By DQ
November 13, 2025

DQ TV

Dramatising a clash that defined the future of a country for a thousand years, King & Conqueror is the story of Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy in the build-up to the 1066 Battle of Hastings.

Harold and William were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 – 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.

James Norton is Harold, Earl of Wessex, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays William, Duke of Normandy, who battle for the throne alongside their respective wives, Edith Swan-neck (Emily Beecham) and Matilda (Clémence Poésy). The eight-part series 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).

In this DQTV interview, actor and executive producer Norton joins fellow EPs Kitty Kaletsky and Lindsey Martin to discuss this retelling of “one of the great stories in European history,” one with universal and international themes exploring family, marital betrayal and love.

They also reveal how the story delves deeper into the domestic sphere to understand not just Harold and William but their wives as well, and the journeys on which they go to claim power.

Norton also discusses getting into character to play Harold, and his experience filming on location in Iceland alongside director Baltasar Kormákur.

King & Conqueror is produced by The Development Partnership, Rabbit Track Pictures, Shepherd Content, RVK Studios and CBS Studios, in association with the BBC. It is created and executive produced by Michael Robert Johnson and executive produced by Norton and 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, Lindsey Martin for CBS Studios, and Ed Clarke and Coster-Waldau.

The BBC has broadcasting rights to the series in the UK, with Paramount Global Content Distribution handling sales elsewhere.

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