The BBC's new historical drama King and Conqueror has come under fire from viewers who say it is riddled with historical blunders. The series, starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy, chronicles the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings.
Shortly after the first episode aired, audiences took to social media to voice their frustration. One viewer wrote on X: "I am so disappointed in the King & Conqueror series. The historical inaccuracies were not necessary. Its already an amazing tale." Another joked: "The horses are very short…..budget horsey!"
Critics also pointed out that the drama portrays Mercia as a threat, despite the region having lost its independence in 879, and shows Tostig's wife dying young when in fact she outlived him by nearly 30 years. London is also depicted as relatively small, a choice that left one critic unimpressed. Historically, William was 14 when Edward the Confessor was crowned in 1043, was not present, did not speak English, and did not meet Harold until 1065.
Writer Michael Robert Johnson defended the creative approach, saying the facts could not simply be put on screen because "the peaks and troughs of the emotions are never in the right place". Despite this, some viewers said they would not return for a second episode. One posted: "I'm not going to watch the second episode of @BBCOne #KingAndConqueror I'm going to go back in time with @Channel4 and #Gogglebox 2022... way better.." Another added: "The first five minutes were terrible. I lasted 15 minutes in total."
One disgruntled viewer criticised the BBC over the licence fee, writing: "The BBC have let themselves, the license payer, but most of all, history down. 'King and Conquerer' is a magnificent mess." However, not all reactions were negative, as one fan said: "And just like that, I’m invested #KingAndConqueror." The drama airs on BBC One at 9pm and is available on BBC iPlayer.
