We love a bit of James Norton ever since his amazing portrayal of Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley. And he’s back for another BBC drama King & Conqueror starring alongside Game of Thrones legend Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who’ll be donning the chainmail once more. Norton recently starred in Playing Nice, which became ITVX’s biggest-ever launch, so we are expecting big things from this when it airs later in 2025.
Norton is playing Harold, Earl of Wessex alongside Nikolaj as William, Duke of Normandy telling the story charting the lead-up to the two men meeting at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 in a new eight-part historical epic set to air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2025. The series is produced by The Development Partnership, Rabbit Track Pictures (owned by James Norton & Kitty Kaletsky), Shepherd Content, RVK Studios and CBS Studios, in association with the BBC.
Michael Robert Johnson writes the series with the synopsis saying it’s a “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.”
Other actors set to star in the new series include: Emily Beecham as Edith Swan-neck and Clémence Poésy as Matilda, Eddie Marsan as King Edward, Juliet Stevenson as Lady Emma, Jean-Marc Barr as King Henry, Luther Ford as Tostig, Geoff Bell as Godwin, Elliott Cowan as Sweyn, Bo Bragason as Queen Gunhild, Bjarne Henriksen as Earl Siward, Oliver Masucci as Baldwin, Clare Holman as Gytha, Elander Moore as Morcar, 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.
We aren’t sure about an air date yet, but it will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later in 2025, and we’ll update as we get more news.
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Feature Image Credit: Lilja Jons/ BBC
