A spoilt queen strives to reclaim her throne from revolting peasants in a film that feels more like a sweary episode of Horrible Histories
Britain, the dark ages. Spoiled dimwit monarch Queen Dagan (Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood) is toppled by an insurrection led by woman of the people Humble Joan (Nicola Coughlan, best known for Bridgerton and Derry Girls). With just her quick-witted maidservant Shulmay (Lolly Adefope) and Bobik (Nick Frost), an itinerant manure shoveller, for support, Dagan must make her way across lands that are hostile to her and all she stands for in the hope of mustering support and reclaiming her throne. Despite a cast that reads like a who’s who of British comedy, both rising and established, this broad romp is only sporadically funny. The quixotic, child-queen character was crueler and sharper when she was played by Miranda Richardson in Blackadder; the small-screen tone of the picture makes it feel like a duff episode of Horrible Histories, albeit with considerably more swearing.
