King and Conqueror my review (don't bother with it - awful!)

don't bother with the TV series - read the book instead

Harold the King (UK title) https://viewbook.at/HaroldTheKing

I Am the Chosen King : (US title) https://viewBook.at/ChosenKing

I watched this new series on iPlayer on Sunday afternoon - from the trailers it looked bad. After five minutes I started skipping, after 35 minutes I gave up. Saying it's awful is an understatement.

1. I couldn't read the opening text (OK my problem, I can't see red colours)

2. it was so dark on iPlayer... and sound was awful - do we need subtitles to hear?

3. Why has Duke William got a moustache? Well known that the Normans were clean shaven

4. Why is Harold Godwinesson clean shaven. Well known that the Saxons had moustaches' and beards. 

5. They (not sure who, I assume the Godwinessons) were talking about the recent civil war. What recent civil war? There wasn't any civil war. (Yes Viking Danes v the English but that was way back...) (Did they mean Harald Harefoot? Even that wasn't civil war...)

6. It was so dark on iPlayer. And the sound way too inaudible (or were the actors all muttering). Why are all these noble (rich) people dressed in dark clothes? The Anglo-Saxons (and the Normans) wore bright colours - red, greens, yellows...

7. 'Your Majesty'? I think this was King Henry of France. This term wasn't used until Henry VIII in the 1500s.

8. Can't hear what they're saying -have the sound turned right up.

9. Worked out that this was 1042 as Edward was about to be crowned as King. (hold onto your hats - things are getting worse...) IF William was invited to England it would have been in 1052/3 not 1042. Given that Edward is not yet married he would still have been expected to eventually have a son, so why would William even have been considered? Edward was replacing Harthacnut, Emma's son by Cnut ... oh and as for Emma... good grief!!!!

10. William was not married to Matilda until about 1053.

11. The F* word. Used several times. It's a Dutch word from the 16/17th century.

12. Sweyn Godwinesson: 'deflowering a bride' ... *sigh* apart from this 'ritual' probably didn't happen anyway, if it did it would come from post-conquest 1200s era.

13. Wrong type of horses - these looked like Icelandic ponies (well they did film in Iceland, so... 

[15 minutes in...]

14. what's going on - still haven't a clue (and I KNOW this period!)

15. Just got even worse. What???? Queen Emma is saying she wants WILLIAM as King of England? That is utter cr*p! Emma fought tooth and nail to ensure HER sons became Kings. No way would she put William (even if he was kindred) above a son of her own.

16. Is that Godwine saying his daughter is to be crowned Queen (sorry I did lose the plot here) Emma saying Edward's wife won't be attending the ceremony because she's ill? Didn't catch the name - but Edward's wife is EDYTH!!!! and he wasn't married in 1042, he married in 1045. If the difficulty is that there were two Ediths ... simple, one is pronounced Ee-dith one is pronounced Edd-ith.

I gave up after 35 minutes. These aren't just nit-pick things, they are ridiculous inaccuracies.

SPOILER~ apparently in episode 4 Edward beats his mother, Emma, to death with his crown.  Blimey - is it supposed to rival Eastenders! (Emma actually died of old age, probably in her bed, on 6th March 1052 - a FACT extremely well documented!)

I'm not saying my novel is 100% accurate (nothing concerning fiction and history can be!) but it's a darn site more accurate than this utter garbage!

we need the funding to make our 1066 movie...and we'll promise do it as properly as we can!

15th - 19th September
Jan Christopher Blog Tour

RECENT

August 21st
I'm a guest on Alison Morton's blog

(Isn't that a lovely smile!)