Happy Valley seems like it only finished yesterday – and James Norton’s iconic role as the evil Tommy Lee Royce was perfection. The North Yorkshire-born actor is back in a new BBC period drama King and Conqueror, which has just finished filming in Iceland.
The eight-historical drama sees Norton take on the role of Harold, Earl of Wessex, confirmed the news today as well as a cast list for the upcoming project. Starring alongside Norton is Jason Forbes from My Lady Jane, Elander Moore from Interview with a Vampire, Ingvar Sigurdsson from Trapped, Ines Asserson and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson. These names join previously named Game of Thrones star, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The synopsis for the BBC period drama reads: “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 British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
Head of BBC programme acquisition, Sue Deeks discussed the upcoming project saying: “In the UK, we learn about William the Conqueror, the Battle of Hastings and King Harold’s gruesome death in our school history lessons – but those headlines are all most of us can remember,”
“King and Conqueror will bring Harold and William to life, depicting their lives, loves and families, and the gripping, high-stakes power game that led to their fateful meeting in 1066. With incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera, I cannot wait for this exciting project to be realised.”
Norton is also acting as executive producer alongside Kitty Kaletsky for Rabbit Track Pictures. And the series King and Conqueror will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Read More: Channel 5 Newest Show ‘The Yorkshire Vet: At Home With The Greens’ Starts Tonight
