King and Conqueror - a review

My partner Emma and I recently finished watching King and Conqueror, the new BBC historical drama series which retells the story of two men's rivalry for the throne of England and the culmination of their struggle at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Here's the caveat. As a historian, I was quite appalled by the numerous historical errors, bending of facts, and deliberate fudges to suit the plot. I soon realised I needed to switch off the nitpicking side of my brain (or at least have it running in the background) and just watch the show for what it was: a drama set in medieval times. That's when I started to enjoy the series more.

As a television drama, it was quite enjoyable, particularly with the changes in allegiances and the buildup to the struggle for the English crown. It was just unfortunate it trod on so much history to get there. The name changes were also slightly confusing - Edward the Confessor's Queen was Edith, not Gunhild. The name change was likely made to avoid confusion with Harold's wife. Given that Edward and Edith, or rather Gunhild, were married for 21 years; she did not age a day during the series.

Another odd one was using the name Morcar for the Earl of Mercia, not Northumbria.

It was at this point that I decided to go with the flow...

Another oddity was the facial hair and haircuts. The Saxons were well known for their moustaches, and yet Harold is moustache-less while William (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) sports a full 1970s style 'tache. I guess this was done to make Nikolaj look very different from his role in Game of Thrones. Therefore, to easily tell our two lead heroes apart, Harold (played by James Norton) had to be clean-shaven.

The props weren't too bad, although the armour and helmets were really quite random. At least the Normans had Kite shields and the Saxons round shields... Most of the series had a palette of browns and greys; colour 'must' have been invented later in the Middle Ages. I really wanted some colourful shields, but was disappointed.

I quite liked the use of ponies and lighter horses as mounts felt historical, although the 'horse armour' in one or two scenes left a lot to be desired. The battle scenes were okay, if a little forced. Oh look! The main protagonist and antagonist actually get close enough to fight each other in the middle of a sprawling battle, again! Each seems to have forgotten their hearthguard...

Overall, it was enjoyable. I liked the strong characters and the female roles; the powers behind the thrones. I still felt a little robbed come the end. If the production team had stuck closer to the history, or just managed to put a little more effort into the historical accuracy without the shortcuts, this could have been an excellent series.

Sometimes the narrative stuck to the history, such as Edith identifying Harold's body after the Battle of Hastings. Other times, the script went completely off the rails. Here's a few niggles: Harald Hardrada was portrayed as a pagan, when he was in fact a Christian king (although a pretty savage one!). Where was the lone Viking blocking the bridge at Stamford? That would have made a good scene. Did they really need to add in the 'Arrow of God'? So many elements were either missed completely or forced in to move the plot along.

Treat it as a fantasy series, and you'll enjoy it. Anything else will give you a headache and have you reaching for your history books, but the latter can't be a bad thing!

Spoilers! William wins!