Imagine you’re a thespian. You’ve bagged a part in a new drama about the Norman Conquest. You’ll finally put your stage combat training to good use. Plenty of opportunities to shout about duty and honour, swear allegiance to god and the king, and chew the scenery to your heart’s content. All such elements are present in King & Conqueror, which traces the paths of Harold Godwinson (James Norton) and William Of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) right up to their fateful clash in 1066.

Enthusiasts of the period will be shaking their heads in exasperation: Harold and William’s first meeting is a complete fabrication and, as talented an actor as Coster-Waldau may be, he can’t quite pass as the 14-year-old which William would have been when this series begins in 1042. On the other hand, if verisimilitude was creator Michael Robert Johnson’s chief intent, then the Godwinsons would of course be speaking Old English.  

No, the show’s real flaw is that it has the airs of a Shakespearean drama without the nuance of the Bard’s language. The actors try their best, particularly Juliet Stevenson as a vicious Emma Of Normandy, but there’s a stiltedness to the dialogue, a heavy-handedness with exposition that a more confident production would avoid. It’s a pity, as no expense has been spared on sets and locations, from the warm, wooded halls of Wessex to the verdant landscapes of England and France. Regardless, for those who love medieval epics, no matter how ahistorical they may be, King & Conqueror delivers bloody fights and political intrigue.

All episodes of King & Conqueror are available now.