Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and James Norton in King & Conqueror’s now-infamous bath scene Lilja Jons/BBC / CBS Studios
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and James Norton have shared a message with anyone who has an issue with the new series King & Conqueror.
The Danish actor plays a young William The Conqueror in the BBC’s new historical epic, opposite James as Harold II, the King of England.
King & Conqueror takes place in the years leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, imagining the friendship between the two historical figures before they became political adversaries.
However, while the star-studded series has been largely well-received by critics, many viewers have seemingly taken issue with the project’s fast-and-loose approach to historical accuracy.
Speaking to Metro ahead of the show’s release, Nikolaj made it clear that viewers should expect some “artistic license” before tuning in to King & Conqueror.
“This is a work of fiction,” the former Game Of Thrones star insisted. “It’s fiction based on reality in a true story. It’s a fictionalised account of what could have happened.
“It’s like the most famous example, Titanic. We don’t know how that ended, and that’s what the whole fun is – the journey.”
King & Conqueror explores the lead-up to one of the most famous moments in English history Lilja Jóns/BBC/Rabbit Track Pictures/RVK Studios/The Development Company/Shepherd Content/CBS Studios/Lilja Jóns
James also told celebrity.land UK: “The most exciting part of this whole process was when [Michael Robert Johnson, who wrote the show] very early on, had the idea to tell the story of the Battle of Hastings […] through their relationship. The really exciting and surprising moment was learning and realising that that was all true.
“The truth was, they were friends. They met at the coronation, we know that William invited Harold over to Normandy to fight against the Baron of Brittany, he did swear, he acknowledged William’s rightful claim to the crown over the relics – whether he meant it or not, we don’t know. But so much of what we tell, in terms of their relationship and friendship, is true.
“That’s why this is such a brilliant story – not only is this a massive piece of history, but you have this inherently dramatic friendship-turned-enemy storyline through the heart of it.”
James also told This Morning: “The majority of the history – the big story beats – are all true. Of course, you have to interpret between the lines because we don’t have very much.”
“In terms of the history, we honour the history but we only have a limited amount of source material so we extrapolate from that and we have had to add things, make things up to make a great drama,” he added (per The Mirror).
All eight episodes of King & Conqueror are now streaming on BBC iPlayer, as well as airing weekly on Sunday nights at 9.10pm on BBC One.
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