It was a battle that changed the course of history. A political war that defined the powerful and domineering British Empire that we learn about today. In 1066, two men, King Harold and William the Conqueror, met at the Battle of Hastings to fight to the death for the crown of England.
Remarkably, this epic tale has never been told on screen before until now. Streaming now on SBS On Demand, King & Conqueror, directed by Balthazar Kormákur, is an eight-episode drama detailing the events of 1066, from Harold and William’s friendship, all their meeting on the battlefield.
It’s not an easy task to tell a story of such weight and complexity, especially for international audiences who may not know many of the details of the Battle of Hastings. Finding a “way in” to make the story relatable, accessible and entertaining for all viewers was key for the creators of the series. Writer Michael Johnston found telling the details of what went on behind the scenes (the friendships, relationships, families and the women behind and beside these great men of history) as his key to success.
In the words of actor and producer James Norton, it was Johnston’s “stroke of genius”.
“No one had told the Battle of Hastings,” Norton, who plays King Harold in King & Conqueror, tells SBS.
“No one has dramatised it. It’s got these incredible characters, and his stroke of genius was finding the way in, which was actually exploring the relationship between the two men, which was all true. They knew each other, they were friends, they fought alongside each other in Normandy. All of that is true.”
It has taken eight years for the story to come to life through this series since Johnston pitched the idea to James Norton and Kitty Kaletsky, co-founders of production company Rabbit Track Pictures.
“We had a meeting, and he had a piece of A4, and it was a very simple, condensed pitch,” Norton recalled.
“It was so exciting, because this is only the second time I’ve produced a TV show, to be there from the very beginning, and every stage of unlocking.”
Power-hungry men, and the women behind their legacy
The opening scene perfectly captures how audiences may think the Battle of Hastings went: hundreds of men in medieval armour fighting, shields raised, swords swung, flags flown high.
But the scene later foreshadows what the story becomes: a battle between only two men, King Harold and William the Conqueror.
“It’s a great piece of history, but also a great opportunity to investigate the human soul, power and power-hungry men,” director Baltasar Kormákur told SBS.
“(The opening scene) is kind of the core of the story, but then of course they have families and relationships and spouses, which affect their lives immensely, and we dive into that a lot, what shaped them, and what created those two monsters.”
Director Baltasar Kormákur during filming for 'King & Conqueror'. Credit: Lilja Jons
This was a huge part of breathing the story to life: extrapolating the characters of the women who were involved in the Battle of Hastings, but not given the attention they deserve in the history books.
For executive producer Kitty Kaletsky, learning the stories of Matilda William’s wife), Edith (Harold’s wife), Lady Emma (mother of King Edward) and every other female character in the story was the fun part.
“It was really important to him (Mike Johnston) that the couples loomed as large as the individual men,” Kaletsky tells SBS.
“It was a gift that we were given that Matilda was, in reality, this incredible tactician. William was illiterate: she read and wrote on his behalf from the beginning to the end of their marriage.
“And then Edith also played this massive role in Harold’s life – she stayed with him until the very end. And Lady Emma, Margaret, Gunhild [Harold’s sister]… they were all these incredibly ferocious and ambitious women in and of themselves.
“So I think there was truth there, but also, I think we have a responsibility to tell what we know to be the truth, which is that women have always played a huge part in the lives and professions of their husbands, even if they haven’t been celebrated for doing so.”
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Clémence Poésy. Credit: Lilja Jons
Not just a story of Britain
The Battle of Hastings forever changed England, kick-starting what would become the empire’s pursuit to dominate and colonise a large proportion of the world, including Australia.
So, how do you make a story like that appealing to international audiences? For James Norton, telling the stories of the domestic space was key.
“It really came back to understanding why these individuals go on these journeys, these incredibly self-destructive journeys, to get into power,” Norton says.
“And once you understand that ‘why’ and you delve deeper into the private life of them – you go beyond the history books and you read between the lines and extrapolate from the facts and figures and locations – then suddenly a 21st century audience understands a father, a son, a brother, a wife, a husband, and they no longer become just kings and earls and barons.
“That’s why people come back to period dramas, because if told rightly, and told well, these people are human beings, people we fully identify with, but they are in these extraordinary circumstances, the ruthless, brutal era of medieval England. It’s like time travel.”
James Norton in 'King & Conqueror'.
What was also crucial, Kormákur says, was diversity within the production and creative teams.
“By hiring me, they already opened (the story) up,” says Kormákur, who is Icelandic.
Several of the cast members, including Emmy award-winning Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who stars as William the Conqueror, come from European backgrounds.
“It’s about the approach, and I think we are living in times where, when I was studying as an actor way back, you wouldn’t get a job here – no chance, because you wouldn’t speak perfect English,” Kormákur explains.
“That has changed immensely in those 30 years… By casting more European actors… in a way, you open up the story.”
“It isn’t only a British story - it affected at least all of Europe.”
Indeed, William’s conquest of England forged the road ahead for the country: a history of widespread and oftentimes brutal domination of the rest of the world. And it all began in 1066.
King & Conqueror is airing on SBS and at SBS On Demand. Find the full details of how to watch, and more about the epic drama here:
