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NewBBC series King and Conqueror follows the events that lead up to the clash that defined the future of England - and the rest of Europe - for a thousand years.

Initially allies, Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy met at the Battle of Hastings as they fought over who would take the crown following King Edward the Confessor's death.

The series covers the years before the battle in 1066 with Harold and William portrayed as friends before they are forced to turn against one another.

Actor James Norton, who stars as Harold Godwinson and executive produced the series, has recalled how shocked he was by the scripts, written by Mike Johnson.

"I remember being constantly surprised reading scripts and saying 'is this real? This seems completely mad,' and invariably, he'd be like, 'no, that is exactly what happened.' It was extraordinary," James explained.

"There were obviously artistic licenses that we had to take, particularly in terms of the timeline, because you often have to condense chapters with historical dramas like this. It was also about finding specificity and nuance.

"We know about the broad brush strokes of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings, but you don't really get much about an individual from the Bayeux Tapestry and the wider historical facts. The meat and substance is always found in the domestic space."

Writer Mike also shared it was "knotty story" to bring to TV as there were lots of different accounts of what took place.

Speaking on the research that went into writing the series, he said: "It was a question of reading enough to work out what the interesting truths of the story were, the ones that people agreed on, and working out how that could be moulded into a story because you can't tell a straight documentary version.

"You can't just dramatise the facts because the peaks and troughs of the emotions are never in the right place. To me, the most important thing is: what do the audience get out of this?

"We're asking them to invest eight hours of their lives, so how do we give them the best piece of entertainment we can from this incredible true story? And the second part of the research was trying to read as much about how the world would have been and get a good idea of what existed and what didn't."

Meanwhile, Kitty Kaletsky, who worked with James to executive produce King and Conqueror, revealed a historical advisor came on board as part of the script process.

She shared she was "surprised" to learn about Harold and William's friendship: "We really weren't taught it in school that Harold and William were allies, two friends who become foes.

"And the importance of not just the love between the two couples - William and Matilda, Harold and Edith - but the extent to which these women acted as counsellors for their husbands was really surprising to me."

On the whole, the series sticks to the key facts known to historians and adds in details viewers may not have been aware of, for example, William was illiterate and his wife Matilda helped with his correspondence.

Furthermore, many may not know that after defeating Harold, William called for his wife Edith to identify his body. Edith was married to Harold in the "Danish way" but when he became King, he married Margaret of Mercia, in a Christian ceremony.

By asking Edith to confirm Harold was dead was just one of the ways the series shows how strong the bond between the men had previously been.

King and Conqueror airs on BBC One at 9pm and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.