The BBC has commissioned a six-part factual series charting the birth of the modern British monarchy, promising “cinematic drama” and exploration of a real-life story that very well could rival Game of Thrones.
Kings and Queens: The Story of the Monarchy will air on BBC Two and iPlayer, made by 72 Films, a Fremantle Company.
The series tells the origin story of the modern British monarchy, tracing how the Norman conquest shaped Britain forever. Spanning five generations between 1066 and 1216, it runs from William the Conqueror’s bloody invasion to King John and Magna Carta, described by the BBC as “an epic tale of a family at war, and a kingdom torn apart by a life-or-death struggle for power”.
The Bayeux Tapestry portrays Harold’s fate. Getty
Using cinematic drama, cutting-edge graphics and insight from world-leading historians, the series sets out to reveal how England was transformed from a conquered land into a powerful state, while exposing what the broadcaster calls “a fatal flaw at the heart of absolute monarchy”: the drive to concentrate all authority in a single individual, which pushes the system to breaking point.
The commission arrives as the Bayeux Tapestry returns to Britain for the first time in nearly 1,000 years, going on display at the British Museum from September 2026 until July 2027 as part of a reciprocal loan agreement with France. Simon Young, the BBC’s Head of History Commissioning, tied the timing directly to that landmark exhibition.
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Young said: “As the Bayeux Tapestry returns to Britain for the first time in a thousand years there feels like no better moment to bring British audiences the founding history of our modern monarchy. This is the origin story of our age, for all ages to explore, appreciate and enjoy, a proper ‘Game of Thrones’, only this time it’s real.”
Executive producer Rob Coldstream said the series “plunges viewers straight into the heart of one of Britain’s great founding stories”. He added: “A family saga told with real ambition, this is history at its most gripping, a story of bloodlines, power and betrayal that still shapes who we are today.”
72 Films is among the most prominent factual producers working with the BBC, with credits including The Tony Blair Story and Britain and the Blitz. The company became a Fremantle Company after the international group took a majority stake in the outfit.
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Kings and Queens: The Story of the Monarchy is coming soon to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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