King and Conqueror star James Norton on story of Norman conquest: 'Why haven't the French told it?'
"They won, for goodness sake. I don't know why it's up to us."
James Norton has expressed surprise that the UK's neighbours across the English Channel weren't the ones to make King and Conqueror, a BBC drama that explores how Harold of Wessex (Norton) and William of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) came to clash at the Battle of Hastings.
"When this idea came along via our brilliant writer Mike Johnson, the first question was, 'Why has it not been told before?'" Norton told RadioTimes.com.
"And I think his stroke of genius was recognising that it's not about telling the story of the battle itself, it's about the relationship these men had in the lead-up to the battle."
You might be surprised to hear that Harold and William were once friends, fighting "alongside each other in Normandy against the Baron of Brittany".
"They knew each other for many years, and at some point during their friendship, they realised that they were going to end up on a battlefield and one of them would have to die, which is such an inherently dramatic story," added Norton.
"So we had this template for this amazing series, and it does sort of baffle you why... it's just not been told. And why haven't the French told it? Because they won, for goodness sake.
"I don't know why it's up to us, but it's a privilege to be able to be the ones to tell it."
As well as exploring that central dynamic, King and Conqueror also examines the relationships between two couples.
"Where this show really got going was the discovery and the decision to not just make it about two men butting heads, but also about two couples," Norton told RadioTimes.com and other press at a screening for the drama.
"Matilda [of Flanders, who was married to William] was literate and William wasn't, she was a real powerhouse," he explained.
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"Similarly, with Harold [and his wife] Edith – it's hard to not talk in spoilers because all of this is in the history books – but I can say this: we [the English] lose and Harold unfortunately doesn't make it, and Edith is the one who comes and identifies his body, so she's there from the very beginning, all the way through, by his side. They clearly loved each other."
That central question of "why" Harold and William, two men obsessed with power and this crown, came to stand on opposite sides of the battlefield "comes from their relationships and family", added Norton.
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King and Conqueror premieres on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday 24th August.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
