KINGS AND QUEENS: BBC TELL THE STORY OF THE MONARCHY WITH NEW FACTUAL SERIES

BBC Factual announces Kings and Queens: The Story of the Monarchy from 72 Films, a Fremantle Company, for BBC Two and iPlayer. This six part series 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, cutting-edge graphics, and insight from world-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 says: "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 says: “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.”

Kings and Queens: The Story of the Monarchy is a 6x60' series for BBC Two and iPlayer.