King and Conquorer - from 24 August BBC and iPlayer

[IwantToRetire]

I had heard about this and sort of didn't listen as I thought it was Netflix.

But it isn't. Its the BBC!

"A clash that defined a country, and a continent, for a thousand years. The epic story of 1066 and the brutal battle for a kingdom. Starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024pyz

Supposedly based on verified historical facts.

I am imagining a mash up of Game of Throne and Vikings.

(Haven't seen another thread but am nominating this as a binge watch thread, rather than tv pace. If available on iPlayer.)

Thanks, that’s brilliant!

I saw Harold sheath his bloody sword and I too was appalled! I love Elizabeth Chadwick’s series about William Marshal but I’d not read the winter mantle.

So I’m guessing the idea he was left waiting for boats to come from Brittany, as in the series, wasn’t actually true

ie
He did actually have his own boats ?

Norton never read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, because the first thing Aslan says to Peter after he kills is about wiping his sword. I cringed, seeing that.
I wonder what the word for bling was.

Norton never read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, because the first thing Aslan says to Peter after he kills is about wiping his sword.

I just came to say exactly that about Aslan and Peter! I've known that since I was eight!

And swords in the AS period were valuable, highly prized items, and Harold would have had the best. You wouldn't treat it carelessly.

I’ve finished K&C rather unsatisfied - very curate’s egg: some individuals acting well, shoddy script and scene setting.
I do love the chance to read up on all the history though.
I’ve stumbled on The Last Kingdom now, which had passed me by - King Alfred &co.
Good script, lots of more believable characterisation, better scene setting - and several series to boot!

What was going on with Judith's hair? Plaits, loose, plaits, loose. Continuity was all over the place!

All I can see now are the little ponies!

I like to watch it live on TV, so I was looking forward to another episode tonight like last Monday and was quite taken aback when I realised there would be something completely different on.

I gave up during the second episode, despite being a James Norton fan.
Power hungry, testosterone fuelled violent men inflicting pain on the ordinary people.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose - Beijing yesterday anyone. 🥲

And they didn’t even really look like James Norton either! Sexiest real historical figure has to be William Marshal surely?

Review by Annie Whitehead, an authority on the Anglo Saxon period, especially Mercia. She makes the point about not cleaning the sword too.

Review: King & Conqueror – Historia Magazine

Interesting, but she did not seem to know about the murder of Alfred Aetheling (Aethel) which was well known. Whether he was invited by Harold Harefoot, Knut's son or was leading an invasion isn't clear from what I have read, but he died between the coast and London while in the care of Godwin, possibly at Guildford. At this time Emma was supporting Harthacnut, her son by Knut and king of Denmark. (There's a book by Valerie Anand.)
She also did not mention the absence of Godwin's other sons, Gyrth, Leofwin and Wulfnoth. G and L fought at Hastings, and had earldoms themselves, while W was a hostage in Normandy.
There's a lot more skullduggery then the programme uses and invents.

I'm enjoying it in an odd kind of way but I've had to explain to DH, who is also enjoying it but knows very little history, that they've completely collapsed the time scale and played around with things.
And Emma definitely didn't end up like that!!!

I stuck with it despite the script, and ended up really enjoying it.

Years ago, I bought a tapestry kit after a visit to Bayeux. It used the original stitch technique from the 11c. My scene included the flat-bottomed boat with horses on!

Last Kingdom is excellent.I was hoping this was going to be a continuation of it, but sadly, its not.

Id forgotten all about it then realised the episode I was up to (5) was showing live last night on BBC1. They have really jumped the shark haven't they, with the historical inaccuracies! At least I read a lot of interesting articles after thinking I didn't know some batshit thing they had put into the plot and then googling!

I think compared to Vikings the Last Kingdom is a bit derivative.

Or maybe that's because Bernard Cornwell is a crap writier. Doesn't matter which historical period he is writing about they are all filled with stock characters.

IMO!

Oh I didn't v watch Vikings so didn't have anything to compare it to! I've also only ever watched Last Kingdom and have never read any of Bernard Cornwells books!

Its possible the films are better than the books. I listen to audio books and someone recommended him in terms of history novels. And then the BBC did an audio version of another of his series.

The fact that one was Europe in the middle ages and the other a more recent period made no difference. The were the same characters!

They're obviously making everything up now. I can't even be bothered to read up what really happened.