Everything you need to know about Shogun as drama leads Emmy nominations

Epic historical drama Shogun has swept the Emmy nominations with 25 nods.

Here is everything you need to know about the lavish series:

The show is based on James Clavell’s best-selling 1975 novel of the same name, about the events and figures of 1600 Japan, near the end of the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the beginning of the Edo period. The book was previously adapted into a miniseries in 1980 but this a totally new version.

The series follows two ambitious men from different corners of the world — John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), a rowdy English sailor shipwrecked off Japan, and Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), an embattled samurai warlord.

Lord Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him.

But when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Blackthorne comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.

The two form an unlikely alliance as Lord Toranaga fends off his opponents who plot to overthrow him.

Anna Sawai plays Lady Toda Mariko, an extremely poised woman with a mysterious past who serves as Lord Toranaga’s translator to help him and Blackthorne understand each other.

The production uses a mostly Japanese cast and the majority of the dialogue is in the Japanese language.

The series leads the Emmy nominations with 25 nods in categories including outstanding drama series, outstanding lead actor in a drama series for Sanada and outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Sawai.

It is the first Japanese-language series to be nominated for the drama series Emmy and is only the second non-English language series to be nominated, following the Korean hit Squid Game.

The show is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK and earlier this year it was revealed it has been renewed for a further two series.