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Season 1 – King & Conqueror

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – King & Conqueror 2025 Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 6 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown.

Critics Reviews

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Ed Power Daily Telegraph (UK) The show never surmounts its massive spoiler problem – we all know how the tale finishes, and there aren’t enough surprises along the way to make the journey worthwhile. Rated: 2/5 Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Nick Hilton Independent (UK) The treacheries, the violence, the intrigues, and the dialogue are all more George RR Martin than William of Poitiers. In its commitment to ahistorical detail, King & Conqueror becomes a frustrating watch. Rated: 2/5 Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Carol Midgley The Times (UK) No, this series is trying to show not precisely what happened at and before the 1066 battle, which defined our country for 1,000 years. It is trying to show why it happened in a hopefully entertaining way. In that it succeeds. Rated: 3/5 Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Tilly Pearce iNews.co.uk It’s Norton and Coster-Waldau’s shoulders with whom the drama’s success truly lies, and with them leading the charge, it’s clear the BBC is heading towards a true victory. Rated: 4/5 Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Christopher Stevens Daily Mail (UK) For all the blood-and-thunder melodrama, the high points of the first hour are dominated by Eddie Marsan as Edward the Confessor and Juliet Stevenson as his scheming mother, Lady Emma. Rated: 4/5 Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mandy W This had the potential to be really good: great actors, strong storyline, moody scenery etc. BUT the events are so crammed into the episodes that it is thin at best, bitty and confusing at worst. It really should have been more than one series so that the characters had some sort of chance to fill out and become convincing. Adequate. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely ❤️❤️❤️❤️ it!!! Please bring it back for a second season!!!! #NYC Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review Peter O If there’s a word to describe King & Comqueror it’s “decent”. It’s nothing groundbreaking but the plot and the characters are interesting enough to keep you engaged. Any medieval drama gets compared to GoT these days and it’s a pretty unfair standard to hold every one of these shows to. A show can still be worth watching even it doesn’t have the production value, or masterful writing that GoT was adapted from. I’m not too fussed about historical inaccuracies, after all I’m the watching the show for entertainment. If I want to learn the details of the Battle of Hastings then I’ll read one of the many non-fiction books which cover the subject. All in all, I think this show is getting a bit too much stick. I’m not easily pleased when it comes to TV series, and whilst I’m not blown away by it, I did enjoy it. It moves at a fairly decent pace and there doesn’t seem to be unnecessary fluff which draws it out more than it needs to. I caution scepticism when it comes to reading the critic reviews because I think they’re holding it to an impossible standard. Give the first episode or two a try and decide for yourself. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review trevor t Absolute tripe. Another historical drama ruined by idiots trying to rewrite history to suit their modern agenda's. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review Magnus A OK acting, mediocre direction, poor cinematography. This will inevitably be compared with Vikings, GOT and the like and It will come out wanting. I dislike the way this was filmed - the image quality feels very dated....and dark. The interior lighting is dreadful, harsh, ugly, works against the story. Must every scene be so dark and lacking in detail? The confusing story is not served well by the costumes, or the settings. The script is baffling...has this team watched GOT, Vikings, Black Sails, The Last Kingdom...even Witcher! This should have been good, the actors have the ability the historic story has the twists and turns to make a compelling series....but it's not, the characters are cartoonish and thin, the dialogue is poor. A deeply unsatisfying series. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review Read all reviews
King & Conqueror — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Robert Johnson

Creator

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

William of Normandy

Eddie Marsan

King Edward

Juliet Stevenson

Lady Emma

Emily Beecham

Edith

Geoff Bell

Godwin

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Aug 24, 2025 Invitation William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 2 Aired Aug 24, 2025 The Sins of the Father William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 3 Aired Aug 24, 2025 Brothers William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 4 Aired Aug 24, 2025 So Be It William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 5 Aired Aug 24, 2025 The Beast in the Mirror William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 6 Aired Aug 24, 2025 Damage William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 7 Aired Aug 24, 2025 Cost of War William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details Episode 8 Aired Aug 24, 2025 The Hand of God William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex were two individuals destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; they were allies but had no claim to the British monarchy until fate drove them into a conflict over the country's crown. Details
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King & Conqueror — Season 1

King & Conqueror King & Conqueror King & Conqueror King & Conqueror View more photos

Season Info

Director
Baltasar Kormákur, Bálint Szentgyörgyi
Creator
Michael Robert Johnson
Executive Producer
Kitty Kaletsky, James Norton, Baltasar Kormákur, Lindsey Martin, Dave Clarke, Ed Clarke, Robert Taylor
Screenwriter
Michael Robert Johnson
Network
BBC1CAM
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Aug 24, 2025