King And Conqueror Cast List Revealed — BBC Assembles A Killer Lineup

King & Conqueror has been on BBC iPlayer for a week now, and if you binged it, you know where it lands: eight episodes that trace the odd, shifting friendship-turn-enmity between Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy, and that inevitable march toward the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It looks great, fights hard, and comes with a pretty stacked cast — which is the real selling point for a lot of viewers.

"The intensity and ruthlessness in Clémence's version of Matilda felt fresh, and really influenced the way [Michael Robert Johnson, lead writer] kept writing the series. And similarly, the softly spoken ferocity Emily brought was a new version of Edith that we hadn't anticipated, and brought such life to the screen. The four of them had a huge amount of fun during filming."

That quote from executive producer Kitty Kaletsky pretty much explains one of the series' aims: give the women — who barely get a footnote in the history books — much more meat to play with. The show leans into spectacle, yes, but it also expands the roles of Matilda and Edith by choice, not accident.

Full list of actors in King And Conqueror

• James Norton as Harold Godwinson
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror
• Clémence Poésy as Matilda
• Emily Beecham as Edith
• Luther Ford as Tostig
• Ingvar Sigurdsson as Fitzosbern
• Eddie Marsan as King Edward
• Juliet Stevenson as Lady Emma
• Jean-Marc Barr as Henry I of France
• Geoff Bell as Godwin
• Elliot Cowan as Sweyn
• Bo Bragason as Queen Gunhild
• Bjarne Henriksen as Earl Siward
• Oliver Masucci as Baldwin
• Clare Holman as Gytha
• Jason Forbes as Thane Thomas
• Joakim Nätterqvist as Thorolf
• Elander Moore as Morcar
• Indy Lewis as Margaret
• Ines Asserson as Judith
• Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Hardrada
• Léo Legrand as Odo
• Þorsteinn Bachmann as Baron of Brittany
• Louise Kim Salter as Agnes

Who to pay attention to (and why)

James Norton as Harold Godwinson
Harold is the man who ends up king of England — and who, for a chunk of the show, is oddly entwined with William. Norton leans into that complexity: these two start as comrades-in-arms, almost brothers, and the tragedy is how their closeness curdles into rivalry. Norton has been everywhere on British TV (Grantchester, Happy Valley, McMafia) and pops up in films too — Little Women, Joy and the Bob Marley biopic — so he brings the familiar, steady leading-man energy you expect.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror
William is, of course, the Norman duke who eventually claims England after Hastings. The show plays with the irony that he and Harold were once on the same side. Coster-Waldau admitted he went into the job without much medieval history in his head and was surprised by how different Europe looked then — Vikings, Normans, feudal networks and all that. Most will know him from Game of Thrones; more recently he was in The Last Thing He Told Me.

Clémence Poésy as Matilda
Matilda is William's wife and, in this version, a political mind as much as a companion. Poésy describes Matilda as the more overtly political half of the pair — the one who understands court networks and family alliances. Poésy has the recognizable cred (Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter, plus work in Tenet, The Essex Serpent and the Walking Dead spin-off Daryl Dixon), so she gets to make Matilda sharper than the history books usually allow.

Emily Beecham as Edith
Edith is Harold's partner — historically complicated because their marriage followed Danish customs and wasn't church-recognized, which the show uses for tension. Beecham calls the records contradictory (Edith the Fair, Edith Swan-Neck — take your pick), and she leans into the vulnerability and turbulence that produces. Her recent credits include Daphne, Cruella, The Pursuit of Love and Netflix's 1899.

Luther Ford as Tostig
Tostig is Harold's brother, which makes him a naturally combustible presence in any family drama that involves thrones. Ford is a young actor on the rise — he played a young Prince Harry in The Crown and was Hector in Black Doves.

Eddie Marsan as King Edward (the Confessor)
Marsan plays the old king whose era ends with the big power scramble. He’s a familiar face across TV and film — from Ray Donovan and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell to films like Deadpool 2 and Hobbs & Shaw.

Juliet Stevenson as Lady Emma
Lady Emma is Edward's mother and an influential figure behind the throne. Stevenson has decades of strong dramatic work behind her (Truly, Madly, Deeply; The Politician's Wife; The Long Call), so expect her to lend weight to the courtly scheming.

Geoff Bell as Godwin
Godwin is Harold's father and a political heavyweight. Bell turns up in a lot of gritty British pieces — MobLand, His Dark Materials — and here gets to play the patriarchal force propelling Harold's rise.

Bo Bragason as Queen Gunhild
Gunhild is Harold and Edith's daughter in the series. Bragason has had roles in Three Girls and The Jetty, and the producers note her as part of a younger generation of cast members to watch; she’s also attached to Nintendo/Sony’s The Legend of Zelda movie as Zelda.

Oliver Masucci as Baldwin
A Norman close to William, Baldwin is played by Masucci, who UK viewers may recognise from the Netflix series Dark and more recently from the latest Fantastic Beasts film.

Clare Holman as Gytha
Gytha is Harold's mother. Holman has long been associated with British crime drama — Dr Laura Hobson in Inspector Morse and Lewis — and she adds that seasoned presence to the Godwin family scenes.

Jason Forbes as Thane Thomas
One of Harold’s trusted allies. Forbes has been in Netflix's 3 Body Problem and Paramount+’s A Gentleman in Moscow, and even did impressions on the Spitting Image revival, so he brings a bit of range to a supporting but important role.

Indy Lewis as Margaret
Margaret is the sheltered sister of Morcar, Earl of Mercia. Lewis has appeared in Industry and Prime Video's House of David.

Other notable cast members you’ll spot (with their characters): Ingvar Sigurdsson as Fitzosbern, Elliot Cowan as Sweyn, Jean-Marc Barr as Henry I of France, Bjarne Henriksen as Earl Siward, Joakim Nätterqvist as Thorolf, Elander Moore as Morcar, Ines Asserson as Judith, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Hardrada, Léo Legrand as Odo, Þorsteinn Bachmann as the Baron of Brittany and Louise Kim Salter as Agnes.

If you want medieval TV that looks cinematic and cares about the people behind the helmets, this does the job. It’s epic without being mindless, and it deserves credit for giving more agency to the women who history mostly ignores. Will it rewrite what you think of 1066? No — but it makes the politics and relationships feel lived-in, and leaves room for you to pick a side: Team Harold or Team William. Either way, the Battle of Hastings still happens, and the show makes you feel the pull toward that collision.

King & Conqueror is streaming on BBC iPlayer now.