BBC commissions Kings And Queens: The Story Of The Monarchy
August 28, 2026



BBC Factual has announced Kings and Queens: The Story of the Monarchy from 72 Films, a Fremantle Company, for BBC Two and iPlayer.

The six part series – announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival – tells the origin story of the foundation of the modern British monarchy, and how the Norman conquest shaped Britain forever.


From William the Conqueror’s bloody invasion to King John and Magna Carta, it is an epic tale of a family at war – and a kingdom torn apart by a life-or-death struggle for power.

Using cinematic drama, modern graphics, and insight from leading historians the series reveals how England was transformed, between 1066 and 1216, from a conquered land into a powerful state. But it also exposes a fatal flaw at the heart of absolute monarchy: the drive to concentrate all authority in a single individual pushes the system to breaking point. Spanning five generations, this is a family story of love, war, ambition and power.

Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, commented: “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.”

Rob Coldstream, Executive Producer, added: “Kings and Queens plunges viewers straight into the heart of one of Britain’s great founding stories. 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.”