BBC fans switch off as they fume King & Conqueror has | UK News

Another instalment of King and Conqueror dropped on BBC One on Monday night – but just minutes in fans had had enough.

In the weighty eight-part drama about the long run-up to the Battle of Hastings, James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as rival kings Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy. The model new sequence sees the 2 noblemen meet for the first time at the coronation of King Edward in England, where Harold’s warnings of treachery are ignored. This night’s 45-minute episode noticed William and Harold each face grave hazard that positioned their households in peril. Meanwhile, refuge in Flanders supplied hope for new mom Matilda, while vengeful Lady Emma hounded the Godwins. While the programme noticed loads of dramatic scenes, maintaining some fans on the sting of their seat, other viewers had been less than impressed and bashed the BBC for the second night time in a row.

One fan declared that they wouldn’t be watching, just minutes into the show. Posting to X (previously Twitter), they defiantly snubbed the BBC as they shared: “I’m not going to watch the second episode of @BBCOne #KingAndConqueror I’m going to go back in time with @Channel4 and #Gogglebox 2022… way better…”

Another viewer echoed: “First five minutes terrible. I lasted 15 in total. I will not even be watching this for entertainment. #kingandconqueror.”

One more individual fumed over the BBC licence charge, as they said that those who pay had been “let down”. The social media person angrily penned: “The BBC have let themselves, the license payer, but most of all, history down.

“‘King and Conquerer’ is a magnificent mess. The story writes itself. Risible, ruses not obligatory. They must be despatched to the nook to assume about what they’ve accomplished!”

Another “flabbergasted” viewer said: “Just began watching King and Conquerer and it’s as unhealthy as I feel. Given the solid I used to be wanting ahead to it but the script and performing is below poor. Actually I’m a tad flabbergasted at how unhealthy it’s. Such a let down.”

“What on earth is this? It’s so traditionally inaccurate that it’s not possible to watch,” one more complained.

Lead writer Michael Robert Johnson previously admitted that the storyline is “sophisticated”. He told BBC: “It’s a bit of a knotty story because it seems to be very simple and it isn’t, it’s very sophisticated. As one of our producers identified, even Shakespeare did not have a go at it!

“Even though the themes are massively universal, nobody cracked the way to tell it. Ed Clarke, one of the executive producers, said the way to tell it was that there’s not a good guy or bad guy.”