The premise
Kingdom is a gentle ITV drama about Peter Kingdom, a solicitor working in the fictional Norfolk market town of Market Shipborough. He helps local clients through practical disputes and personal difficulties, while his own family life refuses to stay neatly arranged. The show combines a case or client story with relationships that continue from one week to the next. That balance gives you a satisfying individual story in each episode and a reason to carry on with the series.
At the start, Peter is still affected by his half-brother Simon’s disappearance. His half-sister Beatrice returns to town, and the arrival unsettles the routines Peter has built around his practice. Those opening circumstances establish the family situation; they are the starting point rather than a summary of later revelations.
Who you meet first
Stephen Fry plays Peter, whose calm manner and careful attention make him a natural listener. Karl Davies plays Lyle Anderson, a younger solicitor at the practice. The working relationship between them provides a useful way into the show: Peter brings experience and patience, while Lyle often approaches a client’s problem from a different angle.
Celia Imrie plays Gloria Millington, the practice secretary whose knowledge of the office and its people makes her central to daily life there. Hermione Norris plays Beatrice Kingdom, Peter’s half-sister. Tony Slattery’s Sidney Snell is one of the local characters whose disputes bring the town into the practice. Simon is part of the opening mystery, even while absent from the start of the first episode.
Where it takes place
Market Shipborough is fictional, but the programme’s landscape draws on real Norfolk places. Swaffham supplies the market-town setting; coastal imagery comes from places including Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham. The story can move between them as if the town and shore were one close-knit place. A real-world visit needs more planning: Swaffham is inland and the coast is a separate destination. The filming-location guide explains that geography without giving away later plot turns.
Which episodes should i start with?
For a first watch, begin with Series 1, Episode 1 and continue through all six episodes in broadcast order. The first episode introduces Peter’s work, the town, the family situation and the show’s tone together. There is no need to begin with a later “best of” episode to understand the format; the opening run gives the relationships room to develop.
If you have seen the premiere before and want a fresh entry point, choose an episode from early Series 1 rather than jumping to a finale. Later stories depend on relationships and events introduced earlier. The individual guides mark plot summaries as spoilers, and the character pages discuss complete arcs, so keep to this page and the episode index until you are ready for more.
A simple viewing plan
- Check the UK watching guide for its dated availability note and current-listing link.
- Start at Series 1, Episode 1 and continue in the order shown on the episode guide.
- Use the rewatch tracker if you want a private reminder of where you stopped.
- After finishing, explore the character journeys, legal cases and story timeline.
The episode guides and character arcs include full spoilers beyond the opening set-up.