A few weeks ago, the cast and crew of House of the Dragon assembled in Leicester Square, dressed to the nines despite the driving London rain. It was the sort of premiere usually reserved for a blockbuster movie – a Star Wars, say, or a big-budget vehicle for one of Hollywood’s trio of Chrises – but the hype, at least among the show’s staff, seemed palpable. “Is this going to be all-out war?” the night’s compere, Sue Perkins, asked the show’s creator, Ryan Condal. “Well,” he replied temperately, “it’s more about the preparation for war.” The audience’s sigh was visceral.
