King & Conqueror - BBC

[Harry Faversham]

I can't get summat out mi' melon. That Kingslayer bloke nobbling some poor bugger...
"The things I do for love!"
 

[Ninefingers]

I trust that one went back to Primark.

A hauberk from Primark?

[Rick]

A halberk from Primark?

Hal's a berk? I never knew that.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

A hauberk from Primark?

If it's modelled by Rita Ora it's undoubtedly very skimpy, which may explain its uselessness as armour. That's my working theory anyway. I need to research it further.

[pixelgeek]

I am not a fan of the period or well versed in the history but it seems as if they have utterly butchered it to make it into a story of William and Harold and there friendship and inevitable conflict.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

I think almost any historical drama with a setting in ancient or medieval times these days is highly influenced by Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon (albeit without the dragons, if only on budget grounds.) There was even a Japanese series a few years ago set in the Sengoku period that made a lot of simplifications, presumably for the benefit of western viewers, most of whom are ignorant enough about European history, let alone Asian, that a historically accurate approach would have been doomed to failure. (There was western backing, probably from Netflix, which I doubt would have been forthcoming otherwise).

There is a word for this, of course: Disneyfication.

[peleset]

I have no doubt a Dragon descending from the clouds to turn back the boats would have subverted everyones expectations and been a ratings triumph!

[Fytzer]

I think almost any historical drama with a setting in ancient or medieval times these days is highly influenced by Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon (albeit without the dragons, if only on budget grounds.) There was even a Japanese series a few years ago set in the Sengoku period that made a lot of simplifications, presumably for the benefit of western viewers, most of whom are ignorant enough about European history, let alone Asian, that a historically accurate approach would have been doomed to failure. (There was western backing, probably from Netflix, which I doubt would have been forthcoming otherwise).

There is a word for this, of course: Disneyfication.

The appetite is there though: FX's Shogun was an excellent adaptation that improved on the source material, was pretty historically authentic (historical accuracy not so much a factor), and was received extremely well.
I was hoping King and Conqueror would be as good as the War and Peace BBC series they made about 10 years ago. Ah well.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

I doubt the executives of the streaming companies are reading this forum or anything similar and they would probably dismiss the audience for serious historical drama as insignificant even if they did.

Shogun was indeed a partial exception to the trends I highlighted, though it was of course an adaptation of a novel that itself took liberties with the historical facts. The other series I referred to - which I haven't seen and know of only through discussion on the Samurai Archives Podcast (YT channel) - attempted to depict the main events of the later Sengoku period but simplified the political issues and even geography.

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

The appetite is there though: FX's Shogun was an excellent adaptation that improved on the source material, was pretty historically authentic (historical accuracy not so much a factor), and was received extremely well.
I was hoping King and Conqueror would be as good as the War and Peace BBC series they made about 10 years ago. Ah well.

I think you have hit the nail on the head - historical authenticity rather than historical accuracy.  Movies are entertainment, so accuracy may be hard, but authenticity would be nice.  Seeing the richness of Saxon England would be preferable to people in drab clothing covered in dirt.  This wouldn't detract from the story.