The hotly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel - House of the Dragon - is set to be aired in the UK in a matter of days. The new series, which consists of ten episodes, will be available to view from the early hours of Monday morning (22 August).
The events depicted in the House of the Dragon take place 200 years before the action in the original Game of Thrones series. The prequel will chronicle the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Game of Thrones, which ended in 2019 after eight seasons, won millions of fans around the world with its brutal and bloody twists and turns. House of the Dragon promises more of the same - with the downfall of the House of Targaryen being one of the bloodiest periods in the history of the fictional continent of Westeros.
Read more: House of the Dragon: Who is Emma D'Arcy and who does she play?
What book is House of the Dragon based on?
Game of Thrones was based on A Song of Ice and Fire - the series of epic fantasy novels by George RR Martin. But, although the action in the TV show came to a conclusion in 2019, Martin has not yet completed the novels in the series - with only five out of an expected seven currently published.
House of the Dragon, on the other hand, is based on Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood - specifically the final third of the book, that covers the Targaryen civil war. That novel is complete so, unlike the Game of Thrones series, the events covered in House of the Dragon have already been written in their entirety by Martin.
Fire & Blood is not a novel in a traditional sense but a fictional history told by a Westeros maester - a kind of scholar - about the reigns of Targaryen kings from Aegon the Conqueror through to the end of the Dance of the Dragons. The maester is telling the story while going through three different accounts of events - so some doubt is cast over what actually happened.
It's not clear how closely the new series will follow the source material, but it's likely that many key aspects and characters will remain the same, much like the Game of Thrones series.
Who is in the House of the Dragon cast?
The show has an impressive cast featuring The Crown star Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen - younger brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne. King Viserys Targaryen is played by well-respected British actor Paddy Considine.
Emma D'Arcy plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen - the king's first-born child, of pure Valyrian blood and a dragon rider. Olivia Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King - who is played by Rhys Ifans.
Steve Toussaint, meanwhile, stars as Lord Corlys Velaryon, known as the Sea Snake. Velaryon is a nautical adventurer who has built his house into a powerful seat.
How can I watch House of the Dragon in the UK?
UK fans can watch the series on Sky Atlantic - the same channel that aired Game of Thrones - when it is released on Monday, 22 August at 2am BST. It will also be available on the streaming service Now.
In the US, it is set to premiere on Sunday, 21 August on HBO and HBO Max.
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