A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 casts Bohemian Rhapsody and Mum favourites in major roles
Dunk and Egg are set to encounter some new friends and foes on their adventures in season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – and now we know who exactly will be taking on those roles. The show has added Lucy Boynton as Lady Rohanne, Babou Ceesay as Ser Bennis, and Peter Mullan as Ser Eustace Osgrey. The trio are key characters in George RR Martin's second Dunk and Egg novella, The Sworn Sword, which picks up with the unlikely duo a year and a half later, as they're caught in the middle of a dramatic dispute. Boynton is best known for roles in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story and Bohemian Rhapsody, while Babou Ceesay has most recently been seen in Alien: Earth and Damilola, Our Loved Boy. Peter Mullan is also known for a variety of roles, including in Ozark and I Swear. View Gallery on the source website A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has so far been loved by critics and fans alike after its first season, giving us a very different tone to the previous series in the Thrones franchise. So far, the series has been very faithful to George RR Martin's writing, and showrunner Ira Parker has suggested that will continue for season 2. He teased to Radio Times: "Book 2 takes place at a drought. And obviously you’ve been to Belfast, and you know there’s no way any human being could ever shoot Belfast for a drought, as it rains at some point every single day. So we’re going elsewhere to seek 'unrainings'." He added Radio Times and other press: "We're going to see Egg get into the action a little bit. Dexter's been training. I think people are gonna be impressed." View Green Video on the source website It's also been confirmed that we won't see a fair few characters back for season 2, including Egg's father, Maekar (Sam Spruell). Speaking to Radio Times for the finale, Spruell explained: "As things stand, I'm not [in season 2], but I really hope that we do see Maekar again, rather selfishly. "I love playing a dysfunctional dad who just can't get it right, who sees his own failings reflected in his children. There's nothing more painful than that. "And so I really enjoy the tension that exists within Maekar. And I think there is something in the strength of Egg that's such a clear challenge to Maekar's authority. I really liked the exploration of that as well. So I'm holding out hope that he'll return." A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Game of Thrones movie tipped to be in development from Andor writer - and it concerns House Targaryen
A new chapter in House Targaryen's history may be heading to the big screen.
Is Game of Thrones finally heading to the big screen? The smash hit HBO franchise, which began with the main series and spawned prequels House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has long been rumoured to be getting the cinematic treatment. Page Six Hollywood now reports that former House of Cards showrunner and Andor writer Beau Willimon has already submitted a draft of the script to Warner Bros Discovery (the owners of HBO), who are apparently pleased with it. A source speaking to the publication suggests that the film would explore the conquering of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros by Aegon I Targaryen, dubbed 'The Conqueror' in the lore of Westeros. "All of 'Game of Thrones' stems back to him, and you’ve never seen him on any of the shows," the source noted. However, the main issue that leaves the project uncertain going ahead will be the current acquisition plans by Paramount to take over Warner Bros Discovery, which is tipped to see streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+ merge. While Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount have a deal, the takeover still awaits regulatory approval. Radio Times has reached out to Warner Bros Discovery for comment on the report. It's a story that author George RR Martin has told in detail in his fictional history of House Targaryen, titled Fire and Blood. Aegon becomes the first ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros when he and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys Targaryen, decide to conquer the continent with their dragons. The characters are ancestors of the Targaryens featured in House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the central Game of Thrones series. Much of Aegon's reign ends up including a bloody war with the independent kingdom of Dorne after he forges the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon added a prophecy of "Aegon's dream" to the Targaryen lore, so this may also feature in the film and tie it to the multiple Game of Thrones series. Meanwhile, we were recently given an explosive look at the third run of House of the Dragon, which depicts the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons. This series is based on later segments of Fire and Blood by George RR Martin. Read More: George RR Martin confirms all-new Game of Thrones prequel set just 10 years before original series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star reveals unexpected connection to original Game of Thrones series Kit Harington "angered" by Game of Thrones fans who petitioned for season 8 remake House of the Dragon season 3 will arrive on HBO Max in June. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW, along with Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Add House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry’s Yasmin has always had the capacity to be awful, but the season 4 finale proves she's gone to new heights
Yasmin may have just pulled off the career pivot nobody was expecting.
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 8, Both, And.* While this series of Industry thankfully had a bit more of a focus on my beloved favourite Harper (Myha'la), the season 4 finale's last moments were well and truly co-opted by Yasmin-related shock and horror. The two best friends/enemies/surrogate sisters could not be more at odds as to what paths they're now forging in their lives and it's hard to believe that just last week, we were all fangirling over their much-needed clubbing montage. No sooner had we all shouted "They are so back!", than the rug was pulled from under our feet this week, as Yasmin (Marisa Abela) made career decisions that are the stuff of literal nightmares. And while many fans may be complaining about the fact that Yasmin has turned to a life of being a "high-class madame", as Abela herself puts it, I think it's a character arc that actually makes a lot of sense. Stick with me here. There's no denying that the publishing heiress has had quite the trajectory over the course of four seasons of Industry; going from being the graduate many of us rooted for after being subjected to a weird working dynamic with boss Kenny (Conor MacNeill), to the series hinting at a very dark past of abuse, the unexpected (self-orchestrated) death of her father and the trial by media that ensued, to the blossoming romance with Rob (Harry Lawtey). At a high level, we can zoom out and look at Yasmin's life and know it's one that hasn't always been plain-sailing. Despite her family's wealth and seemingly plush upbringing, Yasmin is as layered as any other Industry character – that's what makes her so interesting to watch. But her season 4 arc and its eventual stomach-churning resting place isn't as far-fetched as some may think because she's simply emulating the behaviour of those she's sought to surround herself by. Sure, there is that initial sense of distress we get as we realise the trafficking services she's now helming, but it's a tragic character development that, in a way, was always somewhat pre-determined to an extent. The inspiration from the "biographical elements" of Ghislaine Maxwell are clear for everyone to see, with season 4 wholeheartedly leaning into the parallels between Yasmin and the convicted sex offender. Yasmin has gone from wanting power to marrying power and now, enabling powerful men to do whatever they want to whoever they please. In Harper's moment of clarity in the finale, Yasmin emotionally remarks about her decisions: "I feel important here... I'm necessary. I feel new, I feel less pain. That's it." The "pain" she references isn't just the divorce from Henry because let's be real, she loved the social access the Muck name afforded her more than she did the individual. As we see when she puts her late father's voicemail on a loop later on in the episode, it's the pain inflicted by him that continues to echo through her life. The very lack of power she felt growing up is the thing she's been trying to get a hold of throughout these four seasons and now, by calling the shots in this nauseating way, she's got the security – or "protection", as series co-creator Mickey Down told Variety – that she's so wanted. “I think she sees herself as a very, very high-class madam … rather than a sex trafficker or someone that is abusing these young girls,” Abela told The Wrap. “Her whole life, Yasmin has felt misunderstood and controlled and judged because of her gender and her sexuality and the way that men see her. I think this is her saying, ‘If I can control that, not just with myself, but with these other girls,’ then I can make myself completely useful.” View oEmbed on the source website The way in which Yasmin ends up as a human trafficker by the end of the season is a twist many won't have seen coming in the premiere episode, that's for certain. When you strip it down and take Yasmin's previous behaviour into consideration, though, it isn't all that surprising given the fact that Yasmin has been vicious, calculating and demeaning to many throughout the course of Industry. She's toyed with emotions, burnt Harper one too many times and literally led Rob to believe they were going to be together to then announce her engagement the next day. Yasmin's sharp-tongued comebacks have left many fans in literal shock (a special nod to those aimed at Kenny and this season, Henry), always coming when her status, reputation or sense of control is put into question. None of those instances are crimes but in this season alone, Yasmin has also displayed a complete lack of regard for a growing far-right political climate, admitting she doesn't vote (even to her hopeful Tory MP husband), not wanting to "neuter the appeal" of Reform MP Stefanowicz (Edward Holcroft) and seating her Black best friend next to literal Nazis at the dinner table. Yasmin isn't a lovely character by any stretch of the imagination, and while there are vignettes of sympathy for her, we can't shy away from the fact that much like every character in the Industry landscape, she is made to be complicated and pretty unlikeable. In fact, I think if you really look for it, you'll find that she has been particularly cutthroat this season despite appearing to be in the shadows. "We’re not asking people to defend her. We’re just asking people to see the first four seasons of character development and realise this is probably the natural progression of the character," series co-creator Mickey Down told Variety. "This is where a character like this would end up. It’s hard to take, because Marisa is such an empathetic performer." Down goes on to mention how he hopes audiences are "challenged" by this episode, adding: "I also think hopefully that the weight of history and the character allows people to at least sort of understand what she’s doing, even if they could be horrified by it." We very much should focus on Yasmin's terrifying turn, but one of the true shames of that season 4 finale was the way in which it will continue to ripple through her and Harper's friendship. Their partnership rarely makes sense but by the end of the season, it looked as though they'd restored a sibling-like bond. But in a similar way to the reaction from viewers, Harper was left saddened and alarmed at Yasmin's life choices. Harper has never revealed herself to truly love anybody in these four seasons – not her twin brother, her mother, her friends, colleagues or mentee Eric (Ken Leung). But she has loved Yasmin. That’s clear when she goes to the loyal lengths she does to defend her from Kwabena’s (Toheeb Jimoh) judgements. So, it’s all the more heartbreaking when Harper and Yasmin go their separate ways. With season 5 being confirmed to be Industry's last hurrah and Abela expected to make a return (though not confirmed), we can only anticipate how Yasmin's story may continue to evolve over the episodes to come. Industry has never shied away from deplorable characters but in the way that we had to bid farewell to Eric once we realised what egregious crime he committed, should we be pulling the curtain down on Yasmin? The series has gone from being a jargon-filled financial drama to showing how much meat it has on its bones by venturing into themes and worlds that most viewers won't have expected. I don't think we're at risk of having a fifth season that paints an empathetic picture of Yasmin, but I do think we tow the line of making her actions seem excusable by continuing to showcase them. At this point, does Yasmin deserve a redemption arc or is she past the point of saving? I'll reserve judgement for now, but if season 4's Yasmin was the stuff of horrors, there's simply no telling where season 5 will take us. Industry seasons 1-4 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Paramount+ and HBO Max set to merge – but HBO tipped to operate with "independence"
Paramount CEO David Ellison has said that "HBO should stay HBO".
Following the news that Paramount Skydance had won out in its battle to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, beating out Netflix's offer with a bid that was deemed "superior", the company has reaffirmed its plan to combine Paramount+ and HBO Max. Paramount CEO David Ellison spoke about this plans during an investor call, as reported by Variety, now that the wheels are in motion for the deal to go ahead. He said: "As we said, we do plan to put the two services together, which today gives us a little over 200 million direct to consumer subscribers. We think that really positions us to compete with the leaders in the space. "At Paramount, by the middle of this year, we’ll have completed the consolidation of our three services under one unified stack, and you can see us taking a similar approach to this platform going forward. "And we think the combined offering, and given the amount of content and what we can do from the tech side, really will put us in a position to be able to compete with the most scaled players in DTC [direct to consumer]." While it has not yet been confirmed exactly how this will work in practice and whether the new streamer will be retaining one title or another, Ellison did say that "HBO should stay HBO", suggesting a special place would be marked out for the brand, which has for many years been synonymous with premium, critically lauded content. Ellison said on the call: "Casey [Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content] and his team do absolutely a remarkable job at HBO. And as we said, we do plan for that to be able to operate with independence, so that HBO can, candidly, do what it does incredibly well. "Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO. They built a phenomenal brand. They are a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it. But by bringing the platforms together, all of our content will be able to reach even a broader audience than we can do standalone." HBO's current, ongoing dramas include A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and House of the Dragon, Euphoria, The White Lotus and The Last of Us, amongst many others. Meanwhile, upcoming additions include DC's Lanterns and the new Harry Potter series. HBO Max has yet to launch in the UK, and will actually be arriving later this month. Based on the prospective deal, it seems it may only be doing so, at least in its current form, in the short-term. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 ending explained by creators after dark twists for [SPOILER]: "The character isn’t finished"
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 8, Both, And.* Not only has Industry taken itself to new heights in season 4 generally, but its finale is likely one of the bleakest that it's pulled off. There's no major happy ending in the final moments of this fourth instalment but seeing as the show has already been renewed for season 5, we can hedge our bets and guarantee that the new waters we've started wading into will only get deeper (and choppier) in episodes to come. Series co-creator Konrad Kay has reflected on the final episode and where it left Harper as "fun and provocative", telling Vulture: "She’s in a house of horrors. She doesn’t know she’s in a house of horrors. She’s the final girl. Everybody’s evil." The episode starts with increasing pressure on the Labour government as Jennifer Bevan's (Amy James-Kelly) ties to Tender continue to put her party's decision-making into the limelight, with Reform UK politician Sebastian Stefanowicz (Edward Holcroft) painting himself as the answer to everyone's political prayers. View oEmbed on the source website But where do the chips fall for not just the state of politics at the end of Industry season 4 but more importantly, Harper (Myha'la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela)? It was an episode that left Myha'la feeling "really depressed" upon first reading it, after all. Read on for a full breakdown of the Industry season 4 finale. Industry season 4 ending explained: What happens to Harper? The start of the finale unfolds as a bit of a high for Harper – who is celebrating her company's success at knowing just when to short Tender and expose a now on-the-run Whitney (Max Minghella) in the process – and a bit of a (short-lived) low for Yasmin. The former is celebrating with her team as Tender's value plummets while the latter is telling Henry (Kit Harington) that she wants a divorce. Despite her astronomical success and pay-out to come, Harper only pines to tell one person and that's the now disgraced Eric (Ken Leung), who she leaves a voicemail for. As Yasmin sleeps off the night before, Whitney calls Henry and instructs him to find a bag of money stashed in his bedroom. Whitney knows the headlines are implicating Henry and tells him their only option is to run away and reposition themselves, informing Henry of the Russian involvement in the company. Whitney has donned quite the disguise and speaks from a mystery hotel room, reminding Henry that they're in this together now. We then see Whitney hiding out in a private jet, waiting for Henry and the money. Henry arrives but is given a surprise when Whitney hands him a new passport, devoid of his titles. It's the nail in the coffin for Henry who realises he's just Whitney's leverage and refuses to run away with him. Speaking about that scene, series co-creator Konrad Kay told Vulture: "The reason I like that scene is because I feel like the whole thesis of the show is crystallised in that moment where Henry literally looks at a passport of a guy with no status and a passport of a guy with his background and is like, 'All the other s**t, you can bulls**t me on, and I’m enough of a dolt that I’ll still end up on a plane with you. But when you present something to me which basically forswears my titles and makes me Joe Bloggs in Lithuania, that’s the point at which I draw the line.' "That was his class consciousness becoming the text. The subtext is really, really text in a way that maybe the show didn’t use to do as much. " Henry then returns home to Yasmin to find the police waiting for him in the living room, ready to take him in for a voluntary interview. Henry is given the opportunity to take a plea deal but now armed with information about Tender's Russian involvement, he's keen to bring that to trial. He tells Otto (Roger Barclay) about that, asking if he can pose it at the House of Lords, but Otto tells him about a businessman who was killed after proclaiming something similar. We later see Yasmin appearing to work for Henry's uncle Alexander (Andrew Havill) as she organises a meeting between him and Stefanowicz, who tells him of his future political hopes and the right-leaning path he's continuing to forge. It turns out that Yasmin is hosting a fundraising and networking event for him in Paris, something that Harper has been invited to and she extends it also to Kwabena (Toheeb Jimoh). Once they're in Paris, they're met by Yasmin and Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) who are clearly very close now that they've united after their dealings with Whitney. Despite their newfound bond, Yasmin asks Hayley again if she has footage of their night in Austria with Henry, but Hayley says she doesn't. Before the party, Harper gets into a heated exchange with Kwabena, who tells Harper that his friend went to school with Yasmin and describes her as a "sadist". As her friend, Harper defends Yasmin because she's someone who has been through a lot but it leads to a fallout between Kwabena and Harper, with Kwabena refusing to go to the dinner that evening. At the dinner, Harper is seated next to Moritz-Hunter Bauer and his mother Johanna, who laud Stefanowicz and his politics. Harper soon understands their far-right leaning views and is visibly uncomfortable, later telling Stefanowicz and Yasmin of their extreme views. With the dinner finished and the party underway, we then see Yasmin's former maid Molly make an appearance in a formal dress, along with Hayley and Dolly, who we of course know to be underage from the video with Eric. Harper becomes increasingly attune to the fact that there are young women being brought into the room, asking Yasmin why she's doing all of this. Yasmin doesn't really care to hear Harper's concerns about these people's political views and tells Harper about the kind of social access she's affording these girls. Yasmin has taken over from the trafficking/blackmailing operation that Whitney had going, it seems, as a madam, all in a bid to remain a big power player. To put an end to their conversation, Yasmin shows Harper the incriminating sex video of Eric and Dolly, telling Harper that Eric knowingly had sex with an underage teenager. This of course, knocks Harper for six and she then sees that Dolly is in the room with them. Harper pleads with Yasmin to take her hand and leave with her, but refuses. “I think that Yasmin is aware that her own history with abuse and with trauma has left her in a very vulnerable position, and throughout her life, we have seen that she can’t find a way into being taken seriously, to being safe, to having job security, to having relationship security. She has not managed to find a stable footing,” Abela told Deadline. “She starts to see that the way that men have always seen her and treated her, she understands on such a fundamental level, because of her childhood trauma, that she can actually use and manipulate, and she can position herself so that she has a proximity to power if she looks after these other vulnerable women, and I think that is how she sees it.” As for what the motivations for Yasmin are to lie to Harper about Eric knowingly sleeping with a teenager, Down says: “The character isn’t finished. If we were to come down and say, ‘She felt this,’ then it would close a lot of doors for character development. Annoyingly, if we do another season, we might have to make up our mind about that." Harper leaves and tries to plead with Dolly to also go with her, but Hayley orders her to leave and she does, with the room just laughing at her making a scene. We then see the emotional fallout of the evening on Harper, who is distraught once she gets back to her room. Kwabena returns, telling her that he kissed someone else and they confront each other about their dynamic, the loss of Harper's mother and what Kwabena got up to in Ghana. But it looks like the pair are on the up as they talk of relationships and it seems as though they may be heading in that direction. At the very end of the episode, we see Kwabena sitting in the same private jet as Harper as she has an interview with real-life journalist Patrick Radden Keefe, who makes a cameo in the episode, and interviews Harper about her success. What happens to Yasmin? Henry pleads guilty to charges of fraud but says that he was deceived by Whitney just as much as anyone. That same morning in Paris, Yasmin is paid a visit by Molly who is visibly exhausted from the night before. Her make-up is smudged and she's got her heels in her hands but ignoring that, Yasmin simply tells her a French adage about women being tossed by waves but not sinking. Hayley comes in and Yasmin tells her she can have the day off, reminding her of dinner obligations in the evening with "the Qataris". Something is off about Yasmin and she asks Hayley to make sure she can have a minute to herself with the doors closed. We then see her play an old voicemail from her father on her phone, which was likely one of his last, asking her to come to Mallorca to be on his boat. Yasmin then connects her phone to her speaker and plays the voicemail on a loop, eventually lying down on the floor as she does so. Series co-creators Kay and Mickey Down have said that there are parallels to the "biographical elements" of Ghislaine Maxwell's story and Yasmin's, but say that the "one-to-one comp between Ghislaine Maxwell and Yasmin is to do a disservice to Yasmin as a character". Speaking to Variety, Down said: "She’s always been attracted to the vulnerable. She’s always felt vulnerable herself. She’s always felt like whatever’s in the ascendancy is something she should grip onto. And I feel like it would have felt less sincere not to take her there, especially after we took biographical elements from Ghislaine in season 3." As for Henry, he's seen fishing with his uncle and Otto, taking his Lithium medication and washing that down with a beer. He's on a tag, which is the sum of the consequences of his actions as he's clearly not serving any prison time. The scene in question with the fishing was as a result of Harington himself suggesting it to Kay and Down. Harington told Deadline: "I think he needs to catch a fish, and you see the addict in him come out again, and you know that this guy is gonna be fine doing what he does like. He’s always gonna get another chance. There’s always going to be another fish. That addict in him is always going to go again if he lets it." Industry seasons 1-4 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Will there be an Industry season 5? Release date speculation and news
The future of the HBO/BBC series has been confirmed.
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4.* As we inched closer to the final episode of Industry season 4, many fans were starting to get slightly worried that the future fate of the show hadn't yet been announced. Thankfully, we all just needed to exercise a little smidgen more patience, as ahead of the finale, Industry was renewed for its fifth and final outing. We know, it's sad that the financial drama is drawing to a close with season 5, but we can already anticipate that it'll mean the series will go out with one surefire bang. Show creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay said in a joint statement: "For some time now we have been thinking about how best to end the show on an unparalleled high. Unlike some of our characters, we know when to leave a party. We’d like to thank our evangelical fan base, especially those who have watched from day one." View oEmbed on the source website With things having wrapped up on a very wild note for season 4, just when can we expect season 5 to land on our screens? And more importantly, in what newfound direction will we be going in? Read on for everything we know so far. Will there be an Industry season 5? Yes! The news of the show's fifth season was announced ahead of the season 4 finale on Wednesday 25th February. In their joint statement on the renewal announcement, Industry co-creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay said: "We’re privileged to have joined the small, esteemed club of dramas that have run for five seasons on HBO. This March marks a decade since we first began to conceive of the world of Industry and it exists because of the unwavering faith and vision of our partners and former partners at HBO — Casey, Frannie, Kara, Cela, Sam, Kathleen, and Max. "Without Jane Tranter’s imagination and belief, the show would simply be a dead idea in a drawer somewhere. She — alongside her partners at Bad Wolf — has been our guiding light and fiercest champion. We’d also like to thank the BBC for their partnership." They added: "Finally: we owe everything to our crew and the best cast on TV for making our writing live. The characters will live on because of their world-class performances. Seeing the HBO ident in front of our work will never stop being a thrill. It remains the best place to make television, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration well into the future." Speaking about the final season, co-creator Konrad Kay told Deadline: "Season 5 is just great, because we know what the end is. We know the final images of all the characters. We had a 12-week room over the course of the new year, just now. So we know what we’re writing towards." Industry season 5 release date speculation There's been no confirmed release date for Industry season 5 yet. However, seeing as there's usually been a two-year gap between seasons, we could hazard a guess and assume that Industry season 5 would be landing on our screens sometime in 2028. With the continued success and hype around the series, though and the fact that Down and Kay have hinted at knowing how they'll be wrapping up the show, we can always cross our fingers that the fifth and final season will be landing sooner. Watch this space! Who could return for Industry season 5? It's the burning question for many fans – who will be coming back for season 5? With the way that season 4 ended, we can anticipate that the show will continue its reign of leading ladies with Harper Stern (Myha'la) and Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela) both returning for more. In the season 4 finale, we saw Harper at a career high and looking into office space for her company, which could signal the dawn of a new batch of characters working for her. The closing moments of the episode also saw Kwabena (Toheeb Jimoh) by Harper's side, so we would assume he'd be making a return, as well as Sweetpea (Miriam Petche). As for characters we won't be seeing anymore of, we can assume that Rishi (Sagar Radia) won't be making any more appearances. Although he is a cat with nine lives, we can't imagine Industry will be taking us into prison to pay him a visit – but wilder things have happened. We can also imagine that we won't be seeing Whitney (Max Minghella) after his apparent demise, with the same being said of Ken Leung's Eric Tao and Charlie Heaton's Jim Dycker. We may also be bidding farewell to Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington) after he was seen on house arrest at his palatial estate, but we may possibly see his uncle, Alexander, Viscount Norton (Andrew Havill), seeing as Yasmin seemed to grow quite close to him in season 4. However, we have no idea if this will really be the last we see of Sir Henry Muck. Yasmin's own career has taken a major turn, and so, with Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) seemingly being her right-hand, we may be seeing more of the American actress. The same could be said of Reform MP Sebastian Stefanowicz, who is played by Edward Holcroft, and whom Yasmin was keen to impress by the end of season 4. Seeing as the new path she's embarked on will see her meet plenty of undesirable, powerful characters, we can probably look forward to plenty of new faces joining the Industry cast, we're sure. For now, the cast we'd expect to return for Industry season 5 are as follows. Myha'la as Harper Stern Marisa Abela as Yasmin Kara-Hanani Toheeb Jimoh as Kwabena Bannerman Miriam Petche as Sweetpea Golightly Kiernan Shipka as Hayley Clay Andrew Havill as Alexander, Viscount Norton Edward Holcroft as Sebastian Stefanowicz What could Industry season 5 be about? With Harper on a career-high helming her own company and Yasmin seemingly having turned to human trafficking, blackmail, and escorting services, it really is all to play for in regard to what direction season 5 takes. Season 4 already took us on an unexpected turn away from the world of finance, and it was welcomed by many fans, but could season 5 see a return to classic form and get us back on the trading floor? Speaking to Deadline, co-creator Konrad Kay said: "Season 5 is going to be just as ambitious and, hopefully, just as engaging, but I think it’s going to be led, really, by the characters, because we know that we’re going to ride towards an ending." Will it mean that we see Harper and her team continue to try to hunt down fraudulent companies? Something tells us Harper's not all that concerned with turning into a whistleblower, but with her name increasingly more out there due to her Tender success, how will it all manifest? Hopefully, she doesn't take the power-hungry route of her mentor Eric, but we'll just have to wait and see. But where will Yasmin and Harper's relationship go next after the former's actions? Co-creator Mickey Down told Deadline: "Ask the question: Is it salvageable, given what happened? There needs to be some kind of relationship. I will say that." Industry seasons 1-4 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry future finally confirmed ahead of season 4 finale - but with a big twist for fans of the show
"Unlike some of our characters, we know when to leave a party."
The future of HBO/BBC hit Industry has been confirmed ahead of the season 4 finale. The acclaimed financial drama, produced by Bad Wolf, has been renewed for a fifth and final season with show creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay returning to helm the show's conclusion. In a joint statement, the pair said: "We’re privileged to have joined the small, esteemed club of dramas that have run for five seasons on HBO. This March marks a decade since we first began to conceive of the world of Industry and it exists because of the unwavering faith and vision of our partners and former partners at HBO — Casey, Frannie, Kara, Cela, Sam, Kathleen, and Max. Without Jane Tranter’s imagination and belief, the show would simply be a dead idea in a drawer somewhere. She — alongside her partners at Bad Wolf — has been our guiding light and fiercest champion. We’d also like to thank the BBC for their partnership." Down and Kay continued: "For some time now we have been thinking about how best to end the show on an unparalleled high. Unlike some of our characters, we know when to leave a party. "We’d like to thank our evangelical fan base, especially those who have watched from day one." They concluded: "Finally: we owe everything to our crew and the best cast on TV for making our writing live. The characters will live on because of their world-class performances. Seeing the HBO ident in front of our work will never stop being a thrill. It remains the best place to make television, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration well into the future." The series is fronted by long-standing original cast members Myha'la and the BAFTA winner Marisa Abela, as Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani, respectively. The current fourth season also stars Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Miriam Petche, Toheeb Jimoh, Kiernan Shipka, Kal Penn, Max Minghella, and a career-best Kit Harington. Industry has proven to be something of a platform for emerging acting talent, kickstarting the careers of its leading women and also former series stars such as EE BAFTA Rising Star winning Alien: Romulus actor David Jonsson and Mr Burton star Harry Lawtey. It remains to be seen who will return for the final run after the explosive events of the fourth season, which have seen the scope of the series expand outside of the show's initial setting of the fictional bank PierPoint and into an international financial thriller. Read More: Industry season 4 episode 7 drops game-changing revelations – with surprising mystery character reveal Taking to Instagram, Abela posted a carousel of photos related to the series, beginning with one of her beside Myha'la, with the caption: "INDUSTRY HIVE....... INDUSTRY FIVE !!!!!!!!!! THE FINAL SEASON. Let's f***in go". So, we can probably expect to see both of our leading ladies back! Read More: Industry season 4 cast: Full list of new and returning characters Industry airs jaw-dropping twists for multiple characters and shock exit Industry season 4 airs surprising sex scene and marks return of controversial character Industry season 4 concludes on HBO in the US on Sunday 22 February 2026 and on Monday 23 February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 soundtrack: Full list of songs in BBC/HBO drama
Fantastic music is a given in Industry, but what songs feature in season 4?
With only one episode of Industry season 4 left to go, there's really no knowing just where the series will turn. Knowing the HBO/BBC series by now though, things are only set to get a touch more dark and twisted the closer we career into the finale. For now, we get to enjoy the penultimate episode of the series, which really does see a lot happen for our main cast of characters. The downfall of Tender truly began the other week but this episode sees Whitney (Max Minghella) on a clawing back mission to get his company back on track. However, there seem to be plenty more powers at play in Tender than initially realised, making for some pretty high stakes – especially for Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Henry (Kit Harington), who have put a pretty big punt on the company. This fourth season of the BBC/HBO drama is officially almost over, with the stakes looking ever higher as the walls start to slowly close in our returning favourite (and semi-problematic) characters. This season has also introduced us to some new faces – but one of the show's main characters is obviously the show's signature synth and electro score (which is composed by Nathan Micay). This fourth season is jam-packed full of '80s anthems, with the soundtrack only continuing to surprise viewers, much like the plot lines and characters. But while there's a lot going on in this season of Industry, fans will know that another focus of the show is the music. What songs are featured in each episode though? Scroll on to find out about the music used so far in the new season (which will be updated weekly), as well as the soundtrack of Industry season 3. Industry season 4 soundtrack: Full list of songs in BBC/HBO drama Industry season 4 episode 1 - Tender True Faith - New Order Firestarter (Empirion Mix) - The Prodigy Space Song - Beach House Fine Time - New Order La Mer - Charles Trenet Love Is Blue - Marty Robbins Tell Me Something (feat Gaia Weiss) - Tenashee, DJ Tennis & Ashee Industry season 4 episode 2 - The Commander and the Grey Lady Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young You and Me - Penny & The Quarters I.O.U. - Freeez Jazz Suite No. 2: Waltz 2 - Dmitri Shostakovich Is That All There Is? - Peggy Lee I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes Magical Moments - Henrik Lars Wikström, Anders Johan Greger Lewen & Anders Gunnar Kampe My Only Wish - Henrik Lars Wikström, Anders Johan Greger Lewen & Anders Gunnar Kampe Can’t Take My Eyes Off You - Andy Williams Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) - Pet Shop Boys Industry season 4 episode 3 - Habseligkeiten O du mein Österreich - János Sándor & Hungarian State Opera Orchestra Bassically - Tei Shi Horst Wessel Lied - Milva Orinoco Flow - Enya Industry season 4 episode 4 - 1,000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn All of My Tomorrows - Anders Gunnar Kampe & Robert Lundgren Happyness - Molly Nilsson All On You (Perfume) - Paris Angels Vienna - Ultravox Set You Free - N-Trance Forever Young - Alphaville Industry season 4 episode 5 - Eyes without a Face Mother& Child - Sonny Okosuns Panter (feat Kasai Allstars & Basokin) [Instrumental] - Montparnasse Musique Eyes Without A Face - Billy Idol Industry season 4 episode 6 - Dear Henry Both Sides Now - Judy Collins Silence (DJ Tiësto’s In Search of Sunrise Remix) - Delerium Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor - Tiffany Poon Industry season 4 episode 7 - Points of Emphasis Veridis Quo - Daft Punk The Promise - When In Rome Heroes (Tony Carrasco Mix) - Big Ben Tribe I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock of Seagulls Industry season 3 soundtrack Industry season 3 episode 1 - Il Mattino ha L'Oro Bocca New Gold Dream - Simple Minds Polyhmnal - Makeup and Vanity Candy Walls - TR/ST Blue Water - Sally Oldfield The Vibration - Sonny Harris & The Soul Reflections Feel the Drive - Doctor’s Cat Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) - Pet Shop Boys Industry season 3 episode 2 - Smoke and Mirrors You Could Be - Anz, George Riley Il Cielo in una stanza - Mina Gotta Let You Go - Dominica High Time He Went - Renee Girls On Film - Duran Duran Industry season 3 episode 3 - It Figure With Flowers - W. H. Lung Taking Off - Tommy Doom Z’alp - Jodlerklub Edelweiss Thun Parce que tu crois - Charles Aznavour Lonely Days - Hudson Mohawke Don’t Go Lose It Bay - K Lone Music To Watch Girls By - The Bob Crewe Generation Industry season 3 episode 4 - White Mischief High On You - Buzzy Lee You Can’t Win But You Can’t Lose - Nathan Micay Irreversible Damage - Algiers, Zack De La Rocha Little Drummer Boy - Low Les Fleur - Ramsay Lewis Shame On a Nuh (feat. Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard & Method Man) - Wu-Tang Clan Industry season 3 episode 5 - Company Man Boy - Book of Love Charmed - Redinho, Σtella Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis - London Symphony Orchestra Nobody Knows - Pastor T. L. Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir Cmon - Brian Eno, Fred again… Industry season 3 episode 6 - Nikki Beach, or: So Many Ways to Lose Autoglide - Demi Riquísimo It’s Not Over - Grace Alexithymia - Ollie Leslie Sealed with a Kiss - Santo & Johnny Getting Away With It - Electronic Always on My Mind - Pet Shop Boys Industry season 3 episode 7 - Useful Idiot East to Be Hard - Three Dog Night 21st Century Living - Tommy Down The Death of Fomo - Neil Micay Modular 4 - Godford You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Jimmy Somervile Begin Again - Freddie And The Scenarios, Diego Herrera Bombtrack - Rage Against the Machine Industry season 3 episode 8 - Infinite Largesse Blurred - Darkstar When We Were That What Wept For The Sea - Colin Stetson Symphony No.2 in C Minor - Resurrection / 5th Movement The Last Goodbye - The Kills Natural Habitat (feat. Ken Carson) - 070 Shake Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat Qui aime-t-il vraiment? - Francoise Hardy Home Again - Carole King End Credits - Let’s Go Make Some Money - Nathan Micay Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 release schedule: When is episode 8 airing in the UK and US?
Episodes are being released in both the UK and US in tandem, but when will new instalments be landing on our screens?
We're unfortunately at that point where the end of the fourth season of Industry is nigh, and with only one episode left to go, it really is all up in the air as to how the rest of the series will unfold. At this point in time, plenty of Industry fans would have expected to see a season renewal for the hit HBO/BBC show, but the future of Industry is yet to be announced. What we do know, though, is that with the stakes have notched up even higher in the most recent seventh episode, it really is all to play for going into the finale. Not only have we been served revelations about Tender CFO Whitney (Max Minghella), supposed Russian involvement in the company and a bit more about illusive Hayley (Kiernan Shipka), we've also seen the likes of Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Henry (Kit Harington) have to face their biggest downfall yet. Will they (and more importantly, their relationship) survive this? For now, we'll just have to wait patiently and see how the various loose ends and glaring questions of the series get answered in the final episode. But just when is the season 4 finale out? Read on for everything you need to know about the release schedule of Industry season 4, including how many episodes there are and where you can watch them in the UK and US. When is Industry season 4 episode 8 out in the UK and US? The eighth and final episode of Industry season 4 will air in the UK on Monday 2 March 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Episodes of the new series are set to air weekly both in the UK and US, meaning that episodes will be released every Monday here in the UK and every Sunday in the US on HBO and HBO Max at 9pm ET. In the US, episode 8 will air on Sunday 1 March on HBO. Season 4 premiered in the UK on Monday 12 January 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The UK release is in line with the US, where season 4 premiered on Sunday 11th January. How many episodes of Industry season 4 are there? There are eight episodes in the fourth season of Industry. Industry season 4 release schedule The full release schedule for Industry is as follows: Episode 1 - Tender - UK: Monday 12 January and US: Sunday 11 January (out now) Episode 2 - The Commander and the Grey Lady - UK: Monday 19 January and US: Sunday 18 January (out now) Episode 3 - Habseligkeiten - UK: Monday 26 January and US: Sunday 25 January (out now) Episode 4 - 1000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn - UK: Monday 2 February and US: Sunday 1 February (out now) Episode 5 - Eyes Without a Face - UK: Monday 9 February and US: Sunday 8 February/early HBO Max streaming release on Friday 6 (out now) Episode 6 - Dear Henry - UK: Monday 16 February and US: Sunday 15 February (out now) Episode 7 - Points of Emphasis - UK: Monday 23 February and US: Sunday 22 February (out now) Episode 8 - Both, And - UK: Monday 2 March and US: Sunday 1 March Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, season 4 premieres on Monday 12 January 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 ending explained: Star breaks down key scenes – including a big book change
Maekar actor Sam Spruell breaks down everything you need to know about the finale episode.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 6. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 has officially come to an end, with Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) off on new adventures. The finale episode was reminiscent of Game of Thrones in that it dealt with the fallout of the events of last week's episode, including the tragic death of Baelor Breakspear (Bertie Carvel). It also explored a devastating scene involving Egg and his brother Aerion (Finn Bennett), teased conflict to come, and teased a major character in season 2. Interestingly, the finale features also one pretty major book change, right at the end of the show. View oEmbed on the source website So, for more intel, Radio Times caught up with Maekar himself, Sam Spruell, to break down all the most crucial scenes. Here's everything you need to know! A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ending explained: The biggest change from the book Showrunner Ira Parker has kept the series as faithful to George RR Martin's novellas as humanly possible - although there is one big change right at the end of the show, when it's revealed that Maekar has no idea that Egg has snuck off to travel with Dunk. Earlier in the episode, Maekar demands a word with Dunk and tells him that Egg will serve no knight except him. He asks him to train Egg at Summerhall. Dunk declines, and says he's done with princes. However, after some reflection, Dunk makes a counter-offer, saying he'll take Egg to squire on the road, rather than at Summerhall. Maekar refuses. But before Dunk leaves, Egg comes running over to him and says his father has told him to serve him. View Green Video on the source website The pair of them discuss where in the seven kingdoms to go next and Egg tells Dunk there are actually nine kingdoms, stopping him in his tracks and casually blowing his mind. Egg says he hears they have good puppet shows in Dorne - and their destination is decided. The hedge knight and his squire head on their way and we see a beautiful shot of the old man, Ser Arlan, joining them for a moment before veering off to let the two of them continue their journey together without him. But there's one reveal left. As the Targaryens leave Ashford, Maekar looks for his youngest son - and its revealed that the prince never actually gave his son permission to go. In the novella, it's implied that Maekar does agree to let Egg go. Showrunner Ira Parker told Radio Times' Huw Fullerton of that moment: "It felt appropriate to me – one, because Egg just lies all the time to get what he wants. He’s a kid. And the fact that he went and did this – actually, it felt very much in keeping with that character. Also, I agree with you about Maekar, and his decision process. "I will say – look, it may just be my reading and interpretation of the text. But it’s not 100% clear that Maekar actually does give his leave [in the novella], because he talks to Dunk and his camp, and he disappears, and then Egg shows up. "Theoretically, there is a scenario whereby Egg just sort of followed his father out; was hiding in the bushes. His father said, “No, f**k off. I’m not doing that.” And left. And then Egg’s just like, “Yeah, he said I could come, sir.” "So I tried to, as much as possible, stay 100% within the spirit of what George is trying to accomplish. But to be completely honest, that one was just done for fun. It’s become more of a thing in season 2 now, because there are certain people who want me to explore what this means, and the repercussions of that. "It wasn’t done to serialise. I thought it was funny, and I thought it was in keeping with his character. We really never break POV, but I figured at the very end, after we’ve ran the credits, that we can have one private scene with the lords or the princes alone. And maybe we do that at the end of every season, we have one or something after the show is over." Spruell also told us: "For me, it's a much more interesting thing to play what [Parker and Martin] decided on. I was really pleased that it did slightly move away from the novel. "So much of the script stays very close to the novel. It's also it's the technical stuff of making drama for TV work, and propelling us into the next season. So I think that's a much more interesting and dynamic end to hook the audience into coming back for season 2, but also for the actors to play. "And for what it says about Egg as well. He's looking for a role model. He's looking for someone to teach him about the world and guide him through the world in a more honourable way, and even though he's young, he recognises that the person he should be following is Dunk, maybe not his dad." What happened to Raymun and what is Lady Rohanne's importance? <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/0638AKOTSKS01-8411b0f.jpg" width="8640" height="5760" alt="Shaun Thomas as Ser Raymun Fossoway, Rowan Robinson as Lady Rohanne and Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" title="Shaun Thomas as Ser Raymun Fossoway, Rowan Robinson as Lady Rohanne and Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" /> At one point, Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) tracks down Dunk, and says he doesn't blame him for Baelor's death - but, more importantly, he reveals that he's married Rohanne. The new Lady Rohanne also says she's with child. But is there more than meets the eye when it comes to Lady Rohanne? Well, the second novella, The Sworn Sword, which season 2 will be based on, sees Dunk drawn into a dispute involving Lady Rohanne Webber, also known as the Red Widow, who becomes a major character. We won't spoil too much here, but we're assuming we're going to see a lot more from Lady Rohanne in future - and, considering her reputation, we're a little scared for young Raymun... Why did Egg want to kill Aerion? Earlier in the series, we found out Egg has been mistreated by his older brother, Aerion. Plus, the youngster is traumatised from everything he's seen, including his father killing his uncle at the Trial of Seven. He picks up a knife, making his way to Aerion's room where his brother is sleeping. He creeps up on his brother, seemingly intending to murder him, but is stopped by his father Maekar. Speaking to Radio Times about that brutal moment, Spruell explained: "Maekar sets a terrible example to his kids. He ends up essentially killing his own brother, and then this young, impressionable boy maybe attempts to do the same. "Maybe Maekar has just enough about him, as a dad, to realise that he needs to start parenting by example. Also he maybe has the requisite sensitivity to know that his youngest has been mistreated by his elder brother and what that can do to a person. "Also, I think Maekar really wants to make something of this boy. He's failed with the other two, and this is his chance to get his youngest on the straight and narrow and create a proper and more together heir for the future." How has Baelor's death impacted things? Baelor's death has changed the entire future of Westeros, as he was the heir to the throne. Now, that falls to Maekar. The finale episode sees Baelor's funeral take place, with his surviving family - including his sons - in attendance. Dunk approaches Baelor's son, Valarr Targaryen, who asks why the gods took his father yet left Dunk. Dunk admits he's wondered the same. Maekar demands a word with Dunk. He explains he's sending Aerion to the East. He also mourns his brother, saying he never meant to kill his brother - and that both he and Dunk will be haunted by the whispers about his death for years to come. Dunk argues that, had he not fought, the prince would have had his hand and his foot - and asks whether it was worth it. He says that there may come a day when he - or the realm - needs that foot, perhaps more than a prince's life. Maekar says it's not likely. Spruell explained of Baelor's death: "You meet Maekar [in episode 6] having to deal with the consequences of his actions, and also having to deal with a double edged [sword] of, he says that he didn't mean to do it on purpose, and the gods know that, but I don't think he's entirely convinced by what he says. "The loss of his brother obviously affects him significantly, but there is also the realisation of what this means for his own future and his own bloodline." What's next? There are various mentions of an imminent war in the finale episode, including during a flashback of Dunk with Ser Arlan. The old man tells Dunk that it's customary for boys, when preparing for war, to nail a penny into the oak in the square, and if they return, to take it down. Dunk goes on to nail a penny into a tree and heads on his way. But, for now, Dunk and Egg are headed off on adventures new, with season 2 currently being filmed. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 release date speculation, latest news
*Warning: Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 finale.* The first season of George RR Martin's favourite Game of Thrones adaptation has officially ended – and it's safe to say Dunk and Egg have stolen everyone's hearts in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Peter Claffey's Hedge Knight just about made it out alive to continue his journey with his young squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) – who, it was revealed in episode 3, is an actual Targaryen prince. But what will happen next and where will their journey take them? Read on for everything we know so far about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 release date speculation A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 will be released in 2027, it has been confirmed. The potential release date hasn't been narrowed down further than that, but we wouldn't be surprised if it comes early in the year – perhaps even in January, to mark a year since season 1. Progress seems to be going swimmingly on season 2, as it's already filming. Showrunner Ira Parker recently told The Hollywood Reporter of season 2's production: "It’ll still be six episodes. I think the scope will be the same, maybe even smaller. "The budget has stayed the same, but everything is more expensive due to inflation. Plus, book two takes place in a drought, so we can’t shoot exteriors in Belfast. We have to go to a sunny location with no water, which costs money – that’s a major expense that we did not have in season 1. "I’m having a lot of fun with season 2. It’s going to be a different season, and, I hope, for the better." Who will be in the cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2? Of course, Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell will return as Dunk and Egg in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2. If the series follows the novellas, we'd expect the majority, if not the entirety, of the rest of the cast to be different this time around, with Egg's family, including his father Maekar (Sam Spruell) not set to appear this time around. What we do know is that season 2 will be based on the second novella, The Sworn Sword, meaning these characters will appear: Peter Claffey as Dunk Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg TBC as Lady Rohanne Webber AKA The Red Widow TBC as Ser Eustace Osgrey of Standfast TBC as Ser Bennis the Brown What will be the plot of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2? We won't give too much away here, but it will follow the second novella in the series, The Sworn Sword, which sees Dunk and Egg travel to The Reach. While there, they get involved in a dispute between Lady Rohanne Webber (whose reputation as The Red Widow precedes her) and Ser Eustace Osgrey. Parker has also been speaking a little about what fans can expect, with the showrunner telling Radio Times and other press: "We're gonna see Egg get into the action a little bit. Dexter's been training. I think people are gonna be impressed." Is there a trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2? Not yet! We'll keep this page updated as and when any new footage is released. Revisit the events of season 1 by rewatching that trailer below. View Green Video on the source website A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 episode 7 drops game-changing revelations – with surprising mystery character reveal
No character is a coincidence in Industry.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 7, Points of Emphasis.* Within the first few minutes of this week's Industry episode, it's clear to see that there's dissension in the ranks, the walls are closing in and the Mucks are at their wit's end. Yasmin (Marisa Abela) reminding Henry (Kit Harington) that he's never had the right to speak to her in such a manner – and certainly doesn't now – will firmly stand the test of time as one of the most cutting comebacks of the series. But aside from the snide remarks and Henry crossing a major line by yelling in Yasmin's face, there's also the small matter of the Mucks being well and truly broke. Henry was so confident in his new business venture that he used all his remaining money to buy Tender stock, clearly displaying the business acumen of a successful CEO. (Note the sarcasm here.) Much of the episode feels like a nature documentary, watching two big cats circle each other out in the wild. Clearly, there's no longer any rising steamy tension between Henry and Whitney (Max Minghella) – it's been replaced outright antagonism. You wouldn't have thought the pair were just enjoying a sweaty sex party together in last week's episode – oh, how the tables have turned! But Whitney isn't going down without a fight, still confident in Tender and the new 2.0 version of the company. Who cares about fraudulent stock prices and fake figures when you can simply just convince the rest of your peers that you're worth more than the press is making out? While the episode is very much centred around Whitney's efforts to redeem Tender, the resulting implications for well-meaning Jennifer Bevan (Amy James-Kelly), the Al-Miraj Pierpoint showcase and Yasmin's slow rise to calling the shots again, we can't forget about the reveal surrounding one of the season's mysterious characters. After all his hard work trying to lift the lid on Tender, Charlie Heaton's James Dycker went out in such unfortunate fashion. The financial journalist was found covered in cocaine when Rishi (Sagar Radia) came out of the bathroom, seemingly having died from an overdose. But something never felt quite right about the conclusion of that situation, especially as the pair had picked up a random stranger in their drug-induced haze. While Dycker and Rishi were getting into the depths of their heated conversation, the stranger in question said he'd nip out to go and get them some more beers, which was music to their ears. However, he was nowhere to be seen again and we all know what ended up happening later. At the time of that fourth episode airing, fans were quick to suspect that the stranger had something to do with Dycker's death and theorised about whether he had links to any of the show's other nefarious characters. Well, this week, we finally get our answer. As Whitney packs up his things in his hotel room (along with his Lithuanian passport), he looks through the keyhole to see if anybody's out there waiting for him. He sees nothing so it's a surprise when someone comes up behind, grabbing him by the neck and eventually bundles him into a car. It's in the car that we see who the mysterious figure is – and it's none other than the stranger from the night of Dycker's death. Played by Coronation Street veteran Martin Hancock and named as Dez Watkins in the credits, we also see Tender board member Ferdinand (Nico Rogner) in the front seat of the car, waiting for Whitney. They've intercepted him before he can run away and talk of higher powers not allowing Whitney to escape, intimating that it's Russian intelligence we're talking about here. Dez has gone from a bumbling drunk to a very switched-on and threatening figure in a matter of moments, not responding to Whitney's questions about Dycker's death. But really, his straight face and looming presence needs no further explanation as the writing is very much on the wall as it relates to his role in Dycker's murder. Dez, like Ferdinand, clearly works for the higher Russian powers that are pulling the strings here and expect Whitney to fall in line. But after a particularly tense plane ride with Henry later on (delivering another superbly cutting line: "You know why you can't regulate your emotions? Because you're a f**king child."), Whitney still remains ever selfish in his mission and has his sights set on escape. We see as much in his absence at the end of the episode as Henry frantically tries to get into contact with him, in the midst of the resignation of the country's business secretary. Things go from bad to worse for Henry who also can't seem to find his wife, later informed by a temp Tender receptionist that she has actually handed in her resignation and then being told, again, of the way that Whitney has pulled the wool over his eyes. The final moments of the episode centre on friends/enemies Harper (Myha'la) and Yasmin, who have a heart-to-heart about their envy of each other's lives and the resentment they previously shared for one another. Yasmin expresses the need to be necessary – something worth taking note of – and tearfully admits that she had to grow up "at someone's mercy". If fans are looking for some major lightbulb moment of Yasmin going in-depth about her childhood and the suspected abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, they're not going to get it – and really, we don't need it. Instead, we get vignettes into her trauma through heartfelt moments like this, not overdone. We also get the show's long-awaited return to partying form as Yasmin and Harper take over the dancefloor, sharing a kiss – not in the steamy way that some fans have been shipping, but more so in an intimate way to underline their close bond. And as they take a beat in the smoker's area after a night spent dancing, all seems right in their own little world. But this being Industry, we know it'll all be short-lived. Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 cast: Full list of new and returning characters
The investment banking drama returns for its fourth outing.
It's only a matter of days until Industry returns on our screens for what is set to be another gripping instalment, this time with a step away from the walls of Pierpoint & Co. The stellar main cast is once again headed up by Myha'la, Marisa Abela and Ken Leung, with season 3's Kit Harington returning as Sir Henry Muck who is balancing his own personal problems while trying to get to grips with married life to Yasmin. Their relationship in season 4 is "spinning out of control", according to Abela, who also teased: "She is not only a wife, but essentially a caregiver to someone who resents her for needing her care." Yasmin's somewhat love triangle is no more with the departure of Harry Lawtey, who was previously part of the core cast as Robert Spearing. Lawtey exited the series and previously told The Telegraph: "Ultimately I feel like I’m in a place where I’ve said everything I had to say with a character, and I think both me and the writers felt mutually happy with where we left him." But have no fear as there are plenty of new characters set to fill the void, with the likes of Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton, Claire Forlani (Departure) and Kal Penn (Designated Survivor) joining the cast, as well as The Handmaid's Tale star Max Minghella, The Last Showgirl's Kiernan Shipka, and The Serial Killer's Wife's Jack Farthing. How do they slot into this season's drama? Well, read on for everything you need to know about the returning faces and new additions to Industry season 4 below. If you also need a refresher on the previous season's characters, scroll on for those too. Industry season 4 cast: Full list of new and returning characters The following cast members have been confirmed for Industry season 4. For more information about the characters and where you've seen the actors who play them before, read on. Myha'la as Harper Stern Marisa Abela as Yasmin Kara-Hanani, Lady Muck Kit Harington as Sir Henry Muck Charlie Heaton as Jim Dycker Toheeb Jimoh as Kwabena Bannerman Kal Penn as Jay Jonah Atterbury Miriam Petche as Sweetpea Golightly Sagar Radia as Rishi Ramdani Kiernan Shipka as Hayley Clay Ken Leung as Eric Tao Max Minghella as Whitney Halberstram Andrew Havill as Alexander, Viscount Norton Roger Barclay as Otto Mostyn Tom Stourton as James Ashford Jack Farthing as Edward Smith Amy James-Kelly as Jennifer Bevan Claire Forlani as Cordelia Hanani-Spyrka Edward Holcroft as Sebastian Stefanowicz Myha'la plays Harper Stern Who is Harper? Originally from New York, Harper started as a graduate trainee at London investment bank Pierpoint & Co but lied about her educational background on her CV. Her career journey has been tumultuous, but now she's working at Otto Mostyn's fund. However, when she starts feeling as though Otto is watching her and trying to control her fund, she's keen to find a way out. Where have I seen Myha'la before? You might know her from the Loch Henry episode of Black Mirror, Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind, comedy-horror Bodies Bodies Bodies or Swiped. Marisa Abela plays Yasmin Kara-Hanani, Lady Muck Who is Yasmin? While Yasmin used to be stationed on the Foreign Exchange Sales (FX) desk at Pierpoint, a brief stint in Private Wealth Management and then a stint on the CPS desk, Yasmin and went on to manage Pierpoint's relationship with Sir Henry, she has now reached the levels of high society she's clearly always been destined for. Married to Henry, things aren't quite as plain sailing as they seem with Yasmin left weighing up her options. Nevertheless, she's set to forge a new path in Henry's new company, which sees her "looked at as useful by those around her and that's probably the happiest that we ever get to see Yasmin," according to Abela. Where have I seen Marisa Abela before? Abela won a BAFTA for her role as Yasmin in Industry but her CV includes playing singer Amy Winehouse in Back to Black, as well as credits in Netflix's Rogue Agent, Sky thriller COBRA and Black Bag. Ken Leung plays Eric Tao Who is Eric? While Eric was previously made a partner at Pierpoint, he's back in the US trying to get as far away from his past life. However, Eric can't resist the pull of working in that world again and with mentee Harper – even if his personal life is somewhat in ruins. Where have I seen Ken Leung before? He starred in M Night Shyamalan's thriller Old and played Miles in Lost. You might also recognise him from Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, American medical drama The Night Shift and X-Men: The Last Stand. Kit Harington plays Sir Henry Muck Who is Henry? A British aristocrat who previously ran green tech energy company Lumi, Henry's life has changed quite a bit since we last saw him. Now navigating newlywed life with Yasmin, a failed politics career and new opportunities, Henry initially seems to be on a downward spiral. What else has Kit Harington been in? He's best known for Game of Thrones. Other projects include Netflix's Criminal: UK and the Marvel film Eternals. Sagar Radia plays Rishi Ramdani Who is Rishi? A former trader at Pierpoint who has a sharp tongue and a wicked temper, Rishi's world imploded in season 3 as he tried avoiding paying his six-figure gambling debts. That all caught up with him when bookie Vinay (Asim Chaudhry) came knocking for his six-figure cash loan and shockingly shot his wife dead. Now, Rishi is dealing with the fallout from that and he's "still suffering with a large amount of guilt, deep shock, and potentially denial," according to Radia. Where have I seen Sagar Radia before? He played AJ Nair in ITV's The Good Karma Hospital. Miriam Petche plays Sweetpea Golightly Who is Sweetpea? A former graduate trainee at Pierpoint, Sweetpea has never been afraid to voice her opinion but now she's working with Harper at Mostyn Asset Management. What else has Miriam Petche been in? Her most notable role before Industry was the fantasy children's drama The Worst Witch. Roger Barclay plays Lord Otto Mostyn Who is Otto Mostyn? Henry's powerful and influential godfather, to whom Yasmin's dead father owed money. Mostyn begins season 4 as Harper's new boss after she joins his company. However, he's not as well-meaning as it may seem. What else has Roger Barclay been in? Barclay has also appeared in The Bay and the Johnny English films. Andrew Havill plays Alexander, Viscount Norton Who is Lord Norton? A media mogul who owns right-wing newspapers and is the paternal uncle of Sir Henry Muck. He also proves to be another father figure for Yasmin. What else has Andrew Havill been in? Havill is best known for appearing in numerous costume dramas, including Downton Abbey, The Crown, The Nevers, and Taboo. Conor MacNeill as Kenny Kilbane Who is Kenny? A former VP on the FX desk at Pierpoint and Yasmin's former line manager. After a stint in rehab, Kenny continued to work on bettering himself, but was fired by Eric. Kenny returns to help Harper's business in season 4. Where have I seen Conor MacNeill before? His CV includes BBC true crime drama The Sixth Commandment and thriller The Tourist, Channel 4 police procedural No Offence and Irish series An Crisis. MacNeill is also set to star in Outlander prequel series, Blood of My Blood. New Industry season 4 cast members Charlie Heaton as Jim Dycker Who is Jim Dycker? A financial journalist who is trying to get to the bottom of a major scoop. What else has Charlie Heaton been in? Heaton is best known for his role as Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things, but has also starred in DCI Banks and Casualty. In terms of films, Heaton has appeared in Marrowbone, The New Mutants and No Future. Toheeb Jimoh as Kwabena Bannerman Who is Kwabena Bannerman? Kwabena is a trader working with Harper and Sweetpea who comes from a privately educated background. "He’s got the kind of innate confidence that only lifelong financial stability can give you," Jimoh teases. What else has Toheeb Jimoh been in? Jimoh is best known for his role as Sam Obisanya in Ted Lasso, also having had roles in The Power and Anthony. Kal Penn as Jay Jonah Atterbury Who is Jay Jonah Atterbury? The CEO of payment processing company Tender, Jay works closely with Whitney but seems to have let the power of manning the company go to his head. What else has Kal Penn been in? Penn is known for his roles in Designated Survivor, House and How I Met Your Mother. He has had recent roles in American Horror Story: NYC and The Santa Clauses. Kiernan Shipka as Hayley Clay Who is Hayley Clay? Haley is an employee at Tender who is an intriguing new addition to the cast. "She's tenacious, feisty, mysterious, and down to play ball," according to Shipka. What else has Kiernan Shipka been in? Shipka is known for her roles in Mad Men as Sally Draper, as well as her leading role as Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In terms of films, she has most recently starred in The Last Showgirl, Sweethearts and Red One. Max Minghella as Whitney Halberstram Who is Whitney Halberstram? Whitney is the CFO at Tender and is keen to take the company from just being a payment processor to a full-blown bank. He's "brimming with ruthless ambition," having a "silver tongue and a mercurial past," according to Minghella. What else has Max Minghella been in? Minghella is best known for his role in The Handmaid's Tale as Nick Blaine, having also starred in The Social Network, The Mindy Project, Babylon and Spiral. Amy James-Kelly as Jennifer Bevan MP Who is Jennifer Bevan? Jennifer is an MP who went head-to-head with Henry in their local election but becomes close to Yasmin as they become increasingly useful to each other. "Jenni is young, keen and has that naive determination to drive change that we'll see be constantly tested throughout," James-Kelly teases. What else has Amy James-Kelly been in? James-Kelly is best known for her role as Maddie Heath in Coronation Street, but has also had roles in Safe, Gentleman Jack, Three Families, Everyone Else Burns and Military Wives. Industry season 3 cast Harry Lawtey plays Robert Spearing Who is Robert? He works on the CPS desk at Pierpoint. Robert has also been assigned to look after Sir Henry and ensure that the bank's needs are being met. Robert is now dating Venetia, but still has a complicated relationship with toxic client Nicole. Where have I seen Harry Lawtey before? The actor starred in BBC romantic comedy-drama You & Me, mystery series Magpie Murders, Netflix's The Letter for the King and the Joker sequel film as Harvey Dent. Sarah Parish plays Nicole Craig Who is Nicole? A Pierpoint client who takes no prisoners. She is a sexual predator who has targeted Harry, Harper, Venetia and likely others. Where have I seen Sarah Parish before? Her extensive CV includes Harlan Coben's Stay Close, crime dramas Bancroft and Broadchurch, sitcom Trollied, BBC comedy W1A, Netflix YA drama Geek Girl, and more. Indy Lewis plays Venetia Berens Who is Venetia? She works on the FX Desk at Pierpoint. Venetia is described as "bright-eyed, razor-sharp and not afraid to talk back to those in power". She's dating Harry when season 3 opens. Where have I seen Indy Lewis before? She has also appeared in Spanish-American drama La Fortuna. Adam Levy plays Charles Hanani Who is Charles? Yasmin's "jet-setting playboy" father. Charles has been embezzling money from his publishing company and is now on the run. Where have I seen Adam Levy before? He appeared in Netflix's The Witcher as Mousesack. Elena Saurel plays Anna Gearing Who is Anna? The head of FutureDawn Partners, an ethical investment fund, is Harper's boss after taking a chance on her and making her her assistant. What else has Elena Saurel been in? You might know her from the ITV comedy Buffering with Iain Stirling. Trevor White plays Bill Adler Who is Adler? The global head of FICC at Pierpoint, Adler is a major voice at Pierpoint and is an old colleague of Eric's who he goes way back with. What else has Trevor White been in? A Canadian and British actor, White has had numerous film and television credits, with recurring roles in the series The Durrells, Millennium, Episodes, Hunted, and X Company. Sarah Goldberg plays Petra Koenig Who is Petra? A FutureDawn portfolio manager. She joins forces with Harper, much to the ire of her colleague and so-called friend Anna. What else has Sarah Goldberg been in? Goldberg is best known for Bill Hader's comedy-drama Barry. Fiona Button plays Denise Oldroyd Who is Denise? A lawyer and friend to Yasmin, Denise is the older sister of Yasmin's ex-beau Seb. Denise also strikes up a spark with Eric. What else has Fiona Button been in? Button is best known for her role as Rose Defoe in The Split but has also starred in Grantchester, Death in Paradise and Truelove. Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 premieres on Monday 12th January 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5's book change highlights the show's biggest problem
The Game of Thrones prequel is overwhelmingly fuelled by testosterone from the get-go.
**Warning: Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5.** A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tells the story of a Hedge Knight called Dunk and a boy named Egg. Yet this is a story of men, and only men. More than any other visit to Westeros, HBO's new Game of Thrones prequel is overwhelmingly fuelled by testosterone from the get-go. To be fair, that's also true of George RR Martin's novella that the series is based on. Attempts to flesh out that world with more women have been pretty minimal up to this point, including a few sex workers here and there to tease Dunk. Beyond that, the only female character of any significance in the show so far is Tanselle, an artist and puppeteer who paints a new sigil for Dunk's shield. "I think there's maybe two or three sentences [in the novella] describing what she looks like, and maybe one on her personality," actress Tanzyn Crawford told Polygon. There's more in the end product, true, but Tanselle's impact on the story is still quite minimal when it comes down to it. Such sparing representation is somewhat improved, however, in the penultimate episode of season 1 when a new character is introduced via flashbacks. Mid-tournament, Dunk's mind ventures back suddenly to his time in Flea Bottom before Ser Arlan of Pennytree took him on the road. There, we meet a girl named Rafe (played by Dune: Prophecy star Chloe Lea), who hangs out with Dunk in this medieval hellscape. In the book, they're both described as beggars and thieves, as well as "little monsters," yet their connection here is a tender one. The pair are clearly close, talking of plans to escape and start a new life for themselves in the free cities. There's friction too, but their love is clear still, whether it's romantic or forged in friendship. Of course, this being a show set in Westeros, their plans for a better future together don't pan out. And that's because the people they encounter are so much worse than the "little monsters" that Martin's writing described them both to be. Just as the kids scrape enough money together for salvation, thieves attack and steal their hard-earned coins. That would have been devastating enough, but then the show takes this one step further when an attacker ends up slitting Rafe's throat right in front of Dunk. Yep, the only female character of note was killed just a few scenes into her very first episode. And what's worse is that this didn't even happen in the book. The writers actually went out of their way to introduce a female companion for Dunk, only to brutally murder her almost immediately after. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/0501AKOTSKS01-1-812b952.jpg" width="3840" height="2560" alt="Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, riding a horse through a misty landscape in full medieval armour. He wears chainmail and a weathered steel breastplate, his expression focused as the armoured head of his horse fills the foreground." title="Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" /> To be clear, death is nothing new to the world of Westeros. Characters die all the time throughout this franchise, often in brutal fashion. That's just par for the course. And yes, these would, of course, be dangerous times for women especially. The men in Game of Thrones are, for want of a better phrase, extremely messed up, and that will often manifest itself in violence towards the opposite sex. The issue here is when the scales are tipped so strongly in favour of men. Without a Daenerys or Rhaenyra to balance things out, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is unrealistically skewed against women, reducing them to walking tropes who lack agency and depth. And when they do appear, they're simply included as window dressing in service of the men at this story's centre. That's true of the sex workers, that's true of Tanselle, and worst of all, that's true of Rafe. Dunk might have treated her as an equal, but the writers did not, choosing instead to kill her off in service of his story. Things could have ended so differently for Rafe, especially given how much freedom the show had to expand on her role, yet they went down the most boring, obvious and offensive route they could. Season 2 will hopefully do a lot better when it comes to female representation, considering the prominent role of the Red Widow in the second novella. However, when it comes to season 1? It seems that the gender politics in the writers' room are just as medieval as the time and place in which this show is set. Just because A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a story by men, for men, shouldn't automatically mean that women get short shrift too. It's not true to the world we live in, and it's not true of Westeros either when you take the other shows into account. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Sky and NOW - find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans devastated by episode 5 tragedy – star breaks down "heroic" scenes
"I want to believe that in this darkening world, there is still such a thing as goodness and there is still a space for heroism and truth."
**Warning: Major spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5.** No one can say A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is missing the violence from Game of Thrones after that brutal scene in episode 5. After coming to Dunk's (Peter Claffey) rescue in the Trial of Seven, Baelor Breakspear (Bertie Carvel) endured a gruesome demise in the latest episode of the Thrones spin-off. While helping Dunk to a bloody victory in the trial by combat, the Targaryen prince and heir to the Iron Throne is struck by his brother Makear (Sam Spruell) in the midst of the fight. Afterwards, not realising the extent of his injuries, Carvel's Baelor requests help removing his helmet – only for it to be revealed that the back of his head is all but missing, leaving a bloody mess in its wake, with Baelor falling to the ground and dying before our very eyes. While many fans who love George RR Martin's novella knew that moment was coming, they've still been left devastated by the scenes. "The way Bertie Carvel played Baelor seconds before death was perfection. The anxiety you get watching this natural king speak so fondly of Dunk, accepting him, reassuring him. Struggling to speak, even facing death, Baelor never broke composure," one fan said. Another added: "Grieving baelor today," while one more went on to say: "I’ll never forget you baelor targaryen." Recently opening up to Radio Times and other press, Carvel revealed how important Baelor's heroism was to him. "The moment that lit me up when I read the scripts was Baelor arriving on the tourney field," he explained. "One of the things I loved so much about Game of Thrones is that you're continually being wrong-footed about where protagonism sits. It feels very like our world in which you shouldn't attach too greatly to your heroes, because the world is unstable, it's unpredictable, and they might get hit by a truck. "But, in this corner of Westeros, I was delighted to find that heroism can still exist, in a world of hard-bitten cynicism. There is still such a thing as goodness and champions, and that is a story I want to see today. I want to believe that in this darkening world, there is still such a thing as goodness and there is still a space for heroism and truth. "And so the moment where Baelor turns up and does the right thing really answered something I needed. And I cheered and I wept and I wanted that for an audience." Meanwhile, showrunner Ira Parker also spoke to EW about intentionally playing with Maekar's intentions. "We did slightly different versions of culpability, I guess; whether it was accident or whether he meant to kill his brother," he explains. "I think that was really exciting for me to experiment with and to discuss with not only Ira, but Sarah [Adina Smith, director of episode 6]. There is that kind of deep, deep desire to be number one in Maekar that might be realised by the death of his brother. "So all the guilt or all the sadness or all the grief he feels is kind of bracketed by this realisation that this means he's next in line to the throne." A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry airs jaw-dropping twists for multiple characters and shock exit
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 6, Dear Henry, and discusses themes of child sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.* The tension between our Industry characters just continues to build, and while many fans have picked up on the lingering glances that Whitney (Max Minghella) keeps giving Henry (Kit Harington), this week's episode takes their relationship to new heights – among plenty of other major plot developments. Despite Yasmin (Marisa Abela) brushing off Harper's (Myha'la) words of warning about the fact that Whitney seems to be using the beloved Mucks for his own gain, it seems as though it strikes a chord, as Yasmin blows up at Whitney for sneaking into their bathroom where Henry is showering. Apologies are made and it's downplayed with hilarious reference to Henry's past school dalliances, with cracks starting to form between the married couple as Yasmin continues to mull over what Harper's said about Whitney's character. Henry and Whitney start off the evening at a business dinner, which then turns into Henry taking his first sip of wine since becoming sober. He's been vocal about his struggles with addiction, something excellently pulled off in his episode earlier this season. But Whitney is there, almost gleefully taking the opportunity to push Henry off the wagon. What starts at a swanky restaurant ends up at a warehouse sex party somewhere in London, where red lights frame nameless faces and the business partners enjoy intimate embraces on the dancefloor. Oh Henry, if only Yasmin could see you now! Things escalate when Henry receives some sexual gratification from a wall – the less said on that, the better – but in the throes of his own passion, Whitney is right there telling Henry that "everybody wants you", clearly the one thing that a needy Henry revels in hearing. The scene is less about the sexual act and more about their power dynamic. It's Whitney who has brought Henry here and while he may not be the one to engage directly with him, he is the one holding his hair in the process and essentially now has the upper hand by sharing this secret night together. He's all about remaining mysterious and aloof enough, but collecting people's dirtiest secrets in the process – as we later come to find out. Aside from the internal Tender dynamics, Harper is invited to speak at a Women in Finance event and uses the opportunity to present SternTao's findings on Tender. She's clear about the fact that there are major irregularities within Tender's accounts, meaning that their (zero) value is a lot lower than they're making out. Funnily enough, Yasmin is in the audience and looks to be in stark fear for what's to come, as Harper warns of a swift fall for the company. It's the start of the downfall of Tender and travelling to Ghana himself to see EMEA CFO Tony Day (Stephen Campbell Moore), Whitney is shocked to find that he has actually gone to London. We then see that Henry hasn't made it home and is in fact, holed up in a hotel room with two naked women as Yasmin calls to berate his behaviour. It turns out that Tony is going to London to finally tell all to Sweetpea (Miriam Petche) and FinDigest, booked in for a meeting the following morning. It's worth celebrating for the small SternTao team, although that proves to be short-lived. One of the biggest revelations of the episode comes in a heated exchange between Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) and Whitney, as it's revealed that she isn't actually the docile assistant she's been made out to be. In fact, she's been hired via an escort agency where Whitney has previously hired girls to schmooze potential clients and other big players. Hayley references the "difficult positions I've put myself in explicitly for you" and says she has felt unsafe since their trip to Abu Dhabi, where Whitney got her to schmooze Al-Miraj clients. The last assistant that he had disappeared in a cloud of mystery after working for Whitney and Hayley threatens him, saying that maybe it's something she should go to the press about, as she fears Whitney may have been capable of something more sinister. She names her price but Whitney doesn't want to give her any money and Hayley simply tells him that he'll have to live with the consequences of his actions. Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. Another plot twist comes when Whitney meets up with Tender employee and board member Ferdinand (Nico Rogner), who reveals more about who's pulling the strings of Tender. Ferdinand committed theft within his past corporation, and a path was cleared to CFO by these mysterious forces. It turns out that these people were actually the tech arm of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB). But the surprises don't stop at Hayley being a hired escort and Tender actually having links to Russian intelligence, oh no. Just as Eric (Ken Leung) is enjoying an evening with his daughter, he's visibly shocked to find a text message that not only contains video footage of his previous dalliances with Dolly (who he only labelled as "Hotel Girl" in his phone), but also a picture of her passport. Just when you didn't think your stomach could turn anymore in this show, it's revealed that Dolly was born in March 2011, making her just 14 years old. With incriminating video evidence like that (which we can surmise was likely orchestrated by Whitney after this episode's revelations), it's no wonder that the following day, Eric signs over SternTao to Harper without any explanation aside from having "reputational risks". It's a rare selfless act from Eric but is also a massive betrayal to Harper, who was resistant to trust Eric again anyway. As we see Eric walking down a street in what looks to be America in the episode's closing scenes, we can conclude that this is the end of their relationship and the last we'll see of Leung in this series – and rightfully so. Industry may continue to present knotty, problematic characters that should be way past the point of redemption – and Eric himself has continually proved that he is really rather awful – but this is a whole other chilling case of criminality not worth exploring any further. Bye bye, Eric. View Green Video on the source website Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Ncuti Gatwa, Thandiwe Newton, and all-star cast confirmed for Michaela Coel's much-anticipated I May Destroy You follow-up
It's a casting line-up to get seriously excited about.
Last year, the TV world lit up with news of Michaela Coel's anticipated return to our screens, with First Day on Earth announced as her comeback to being both a series creator and executive producer, as well as starring in the leading role. Now, things have only gotten more exciting as the casting line-up for the BBC/HBO co-produced series has been unveiled – and boy, is it positively brimming with talent. Joining Coel in the series is multi-award-winning actress Thandiwe Newton as Anya, Maxine Peake (I Swear) as Helen, Halo star Danny Sapani as Ernest and Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa as Darren. We're yet to find out how each of these stellar actors slots into the overarching plot of First Day on Earth, with character descriptions still under wraps for now, but one thing's for sure, it's already shaping up to be a must-watch drama. The 10-parter is being made in association with A24, and if their slate of TV dramas is anything to go by – Euphoria, Beef and Dreaming Whilst Black, to name just a few – then we know we're in for a treat. Filming has now kicked off on the series, which is being co-directed by I May Destroy You's Sam Miller. The drama will see Coel lead the cast as British-Ghanaian novelist Henri, who is on a search for inspiration and meaning as she travels to her parent's homeland in Ghana. The newly released description for the series describes Henri as being "on the run – from herself, her life, her partner, and that weird guy at her book talk. When she ends up in Ghana, her ancestral homeland, she finds herself submerged in an altogether different world." It continues: "Amidst new friends, fresh joy, and many different and nuanced relationships, Henri also finds secrets, lies, difficulty and denial - leading her to question everything about herself, her heritage and her family." As mentioned, while we don't know who Newton, Peake, Sapani or Gatwa will be playing just yet, we can hedge a very good guess and say that the performances are set to be first-class. Newton is known for playing a variety of characters over the years but in terms of TV, she's known for her roles in Westworld, ER, Line of Duty and more recently held a guest role in the second season of Wednesday. Gatwa needs little-to-no introduction, having recently graced our screens as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who before leaving the show last year, a decision which the actor stated that he had to "wrestle" with himself over. He is otherwise known for his roles in Sex Education, as well as movies like Barbie and The Roses. Peake has also been a mainstay on British TV for some time now, having had notable roles in Shameless, Silk, Black Mirror and The Village, having also recently starred in Say Nothing and I Swear. As for Sapani, he has starred in films like Black Panther (and its sequel, Wakanda Forever) but in terms of TV, is known for starring in Penny Dreadful, Harlots, Killing Eve, Halo and The Diplomat. Read more: Vigil season 3 unveils chilly first look at new episodes as new cast members join Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie How to Get to Heaven from Belfast cast on how "shared trauma" unfolds in new mystery series At the time of the show's official announcement last year, the official synopsis read: "British novelist Henri (Michaela Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, her relationship is going nowhere. So when she's offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa – her parents' homeland, where her estranged father lives – she can't resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage. "But when she arrives neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity - one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her." On the announcement of the series, Coel said in a statement: "I am delighted to be working with VAL, the BBC and HBO again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands. "The process of creating FDOE thus far has been a beautifully intimate experience, and I am excited to embark on the next phase to eventually offer this as another televisual gift for anyone willing to accompany Henri on what will be a wild odyssey!" First Day on Earth will be coming to BBC One and iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry's Sweetpea finally gets the spotlight – and her complex arc is one of the show's best
Sweetpea is a different character in this season of Industry, but she's all the more captivating.
Add Industry to your watchlist. *This article contains spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 5, Eyes Without a Face.* As soon as Sweetpea Golightly came onto our screens in Industry season 3 as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed graduate, it marked one of those moments when viewers just knew she'd be around for a long time. Coming into the office early ahead of her team at Pierpoint to film social media videos is one especially brazen move, but she never let her 50,000 online followers go to her head and remained committed to her full-time job, thinking on her feet, moving at a few steps ahead of others and not letting other people's demeaning comments get her down. At least, not too much. "Respectfully, you make it hard to give a f**k," was one particularly cutting – but excellent – line she delivered to Rishi (Sagar Radia) in the season three finale. All season long, she'd been underestimated by those around her and made to endure the diatribe that came from Rishi's mouth in regards to her side-hustle on Siren, an OnlyFans-style app. It would've been far too easy to dismiss her as an excitable Gen Z addition to the cast and thankfully, the show didn't. Instead, it marked her as one of the main players to come out on top in a season that didn't see many winners. So, it's quite the stark contrast to be confronted with the Sweetpea of season four who is markedly different to when we last saw her – but in this fifth episode, the character (and Miriam Petche herself, of course) comes into her own in an unexpected and welcomely nuanced way. While Sweetpea enters this fourth season still armed with a legion of smart quips, loyalty to Harper (Myha'la) and an undeniable work ethic, there also seems to be a metaphorical weight to her that is hard to shake off. We gain clarity on the deeper levels of that as the series takes us to Accra, Ghana, following Sweetpea as she reaches a new level of intent, trying to discover what the hell is going on at Tender. We've already seen how important taking down Whitney's company is to her, but it's in this episode that we come to understand just why that is. She unexpectedly confides in Kwabena (Toheeb Jimoh) about the fact that this is something she's put all her resources into. Before accepting the job with Harper, she'd been interviewing for other roles at different companies but got nowhere. With her nude photos leaked online, she's seen as a risky hire for the industry, it seems. Sweetpea is just focused on letting her work speak for itself and allowing enough time to elapse in the hopes that her pictures will become yesterday's news. As we also come to find out in this episode, Sweetpea suspects that it was Rishi who was the person to leak her photos, something that seems very in-keeping with the kind of man he is. I mean seriously, how bad can that guy get? But you never know how much all of that background noise is impacting Sweetpea until she speaks out. Perhaps our understanding of her as the smart-mouthed grad has impacted our ability to see her as any other human being with emotions, but it's a rare instance that we see those vignettes of vulnerability in a show like Industry. Usually, when we do, it's when these characters are at their lowest and feel as though they have nothing less to lose so they may as well throw us a scrap of emotion to paw over. Sweetpea, in many ways, represents how it feels to navigate a working world that thrives on overconsumption and burnout, deprioritising one's own need for workplace boundaries or space for personal wellbeing to flourish. Asking your colleague if they've seen a picture of your breasts shouldn't be a thought that crosses any employee's mind and while Sweetpea very much revels in how awkward it is for Kwabena to answer that, it's clearly still something she has to consider when meeting any man in the industry she works in. Eerily proving that very point later in the episode is Eric (Ken Leung), looking at Sweetpea's nude photos while wrapped in a bathrobe. As he scrolls upwards, we find out that the forwarded email chain has the derogatory subject line of "City Tart" along with Sweetpea's professional headshot. Industry continues to pull off its stomach-churning snapshot moments and this is certainly one of them. Not only has her colleague seen these pictures, but now the viewer knows that Sweetpea's new employer has too. The low points just keep coming for Sweetpea this episode, though. She's made this long-haul trip all to be ignored by Tender employee Tony Day (Stephen Campbell Moore). The very same man who appears to flirt with her on the phone, switches and issues some sort of veiled threat, which then results in Sweetpea being viciously assaulted in a public bathroom. That scene in particular will leave anyone with chills but in this new way we've come to expect of Sweetpea now, she picks herself up and carries on – potentially broken nose and all. Some viewers may agree or disagree with what happens next with Kwabena but I guess when Industry takes us to a new location, there's always going to be some sort of sexual dalliance in the equation too. I would hope that being equated to Kwabena's problematic porn preference of "premium calcium" would lead any woman to want to leave the conversation, but it seems to be the spark needed for the pair to act on their impulses. I personally think that getting consumed by that dynamic in question loses the wider meaning of what's going on here with Sweetpea and that is that she's a woman who is desperately trying to reclaim her power in any way she can. She's plowing her energy into work, but knowingly sleeping with the same person her boss is only underlines that Sweetpea is out for herself too – and hell, it's about time, seeing as that is literally what Industry (and this season in particular) is all about. Perhaps the most stark part of the episode comes fittingly at the end when Sweetpea, seemingly on a high having finally proven that Tender is fraudulent, returns to London appearing defeated. Her reaction to finding Harper in the lobby of her apartment building is surprising, especially seeing as the pair have always appeared to be pally. Perhaps it's because Harper has just gone through personal trauma of her own — and is clearly in need of a friendly face — that it strikes a defensive chord within me, but similarly, the scene does superbly capture the dichotomy of Gen Z versus millennial attitudes towards work. The generational camp that Sweetpea finds herself in deprioritises work and a constant switch-on culture, placing firmer boundaries on work-life balance and are not as inclined to want to become friends with their colleagues. And while I think Sweetpea has reached that point of needing to underline those employee-boss dynamics – making it plain by asking to be paid for her hard work – she is clearly also just in need of some time to herself. When we finally see her in her apartment, fresh out of the bath and sobbing, it's a side to Sweetpea that we've never been allowed to see. She's remained like an impenetrable forcefield in the short while we've known her and even then, fans have loved her for it. We don't know anything about her personal life, her family or struggles but by giving us an episode dedicated to unearthing a little more of Sweetpea, Industry continues to prove why its character development and knack for finding rising talent really is unparalleled. Petche is already a name to watch but this episode highlights her star power even further and should Industry continue past this season, fans can only hope for more Sweetpea scene-stealing moments – I know I am.
Industry's Sweetpea finally gets her deserved spotlight – and her complex arc is one of the best of the season
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 5, Eyes Without a Face.* As soon as Sweetpea Golightly came onto our screens in Industry season 3 as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed graduate, it marked one of those moments when viewers just knew she'd be around for a long time. Coming into the office early ahead of her team at Pierpoint to film social media videos is one especially brazen move, but she never let her 50,000 online followers go to her head and remained committed to her full-time job, thinking on her feet, moving at a few steps ahead of others and not letting other people's demeaning comments get her down. At least, not too much. "Respectfully, you make it hard to give a f**k," was one particularly cutting – but excellent – line she delivered to Rishi (Sagar Radia) in the season 3 finale. All season long, she'd been underestimated by those around her and made to endure the diatribe that came from Rishi's mouth in regards to her side-hustle on Siren, an OnlyFans-style app. It would've been far too easy to dismiss her as an excitable Gen Z addition to the cast and thankfully, the show didn't. Instead, it marked her as one of the main players to come out on top in a season that didn't see many winners. So, it's quite the stark contrast to be confronted with the Sweetpea of season 4 who is markedly different to when we last saw her – but in this fifth episode, the character (and Miriam Petche herself, of course) comes into her own in an unexpected and welcomely nuanced way. While Sweetpea enters this fourth season still armed with a legion of smart quips, loyalty to Harper (Myha'la) and an undeniable work ethic, there also seems to be a metaphorical weight to her that is hard to shake off. We gain clarity on the deeper levels of that as the series takes us to Accra, Ghana, following Sweetpea as she reaches a new level of intent, trying to discover what the hell is going on at Tender. We've already seen how important taking down Whitney's company is to her, but it's in this episode that we come to understand just why that is. She unexpectedly confides in Kwabena (Toheeb Jimoh) about the fact that this is something she's put all her resources into. Before accepting the job with Harper, she'd been interviewing for other roles at different companies but got nowhere. With her nude photos leaked online, she's seen as a risky hire for the industry, it seems. Sweetpea is just focused on letting her work speak for itself and allowing enough time to elapse in the hopes that her pictures will become yesterday's news. As we also come to find out in this episode, Sweetpea suspects that it was Rishi who was the person to leak her photos, something that seems very in-keeping with the kind of man he is. I mean seriously, how bad can that guy get? But you never know how much all of that background noise is impacting Sweetpea until she speaks out. Perhaps our understanding of her as the smart-mouthed grad has impacted our ability to see her as any other human being with emotions, but it's a rare instance that we see those vignettes of vulnerability in a show like Industry. Usually, when we do, it's when these characters are at their lowest and feel as though they have nothing less to lose so they may as well throw us a scrap of emotion to paw over. Sweetpea, in many ways, represents how it feels to navigate a working world that thrives on overconsumption and burnout, deprioritising one's own need for workplace boundaries or space for personal wellbeing to flourish. Asking your colleague if they've seen a picture of your breasts shouldn't be a thought that crosses any employee's mind and while Sweetpea very much revels in how awkward it is for Kwabena to answer that, it's clearly still something she has to consider when meeting any man in the industry she works in. Eerily proving that very point later in the episode is Eric (Ken Leung), looking at Sweetpea's nude photos while wrapped in a bathrobe. As he scrolls upwards, we find out that the forwarded email chain has the derogatory subject line of "City Tart" along with Sweetpea's professional headshot. Industry continues to pull off its stomach-churning snapshot moments and this is certainly one of them. Not only has her colleague seen these pictures, but now the viewer knows that Sweetpea's new employer has too. The low points just keep coming for Sweetpea this episode, though. She's made this long-haul trip all to be ignored by Tender employee Tony Day (Stephen Campbell Moore). The very same man who appears to flirt with her on the phone, switches and issues some sort of veiled threat, which then results in Sweetpea being viciously assaulted in a public bathroom. That scene in particular will leave anyone with chills but in this new way we've come to expect of Sweetpea now, she picks herself up and carries on – potentially broken nose and all. Some viewers may agree or disagree with what happens next with Kwabena but I guess when Industry takes us to a new location, there's always going to be some sort of sexual dalliance in the equation too. I would hope that being equated to Kwabena's problematic porn preference of "premium calcium" would lead any woman to want to leave the conversation, but it seems to be the spark needed for the pair to act on their impulses. I personally think that getting consumed by that dynamic in question loses the wider meaning of what's going on here with Sweetpea and that is that she's a woman who is desperately trying to reclaim her power in any way she can. She's plowing her energy into work, but knowingly sleeping with the same person her boss is only underlines that Sweetpea is out for herself too – and hell, it's about time, seeing as that is literally what Industry (and this season in particular) is all about. Perhaps the most stark part of the episode comes fittingly at the end when Sweetpea, seemingly on a high having finally proven that Tender is fraudulent, returns to London appearing defeated. Her reaction to finding Harper in the lobby of her apartment building is surprising, especially seeing as the pair have always appeared to be pally. Perhaps it's because Harper has just gone through personal trauma of her own — and is clearly in need of a friendly face — that it strikes a defensive chord within me, but similarly, the scene does superbly capture the dichotomy of Gen Z versus millennial attitudes towards work. The generational camp that Sweetpea finds herself in deprioritises work and a constant switch-on culture, placing firmer boundaries on work-life balance and are not as inclined to want to become friends with their colleagues. And while I think Sweetpea has reached that point of needing to underline those employee-boss dynamics – making it plain by asking to be paid for her hard work – she is clearly also just in need of some time to herself. When we finally see her in her apartment, fresh out of the bath and sobbing, it's a side to Sweetpea that we've never been allowed to see. She's remained like an impenetrable forcefield in the short while we've known her and even then, fans have loved her for it. We don't know anything about her personal life, her family or struggles but by giving us an episode dedicated to unearthing a little more of Sweetpea, Industry continues to prove why its character development and knack for finding rising talent really is unparalleled. Petche is already a name to watch but this episode highlights her star power even further and should Industry continue past this season, fans can only hope for more Sweetpea scene-stealing moments – I know I am. Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms set? Game of Thrones timeline explained
The latest chapter in HBO’s hit fantasy franchise has introduced two fan-favourite characters - but when is it set?
Despite the original series having come to an end seven years ago in 2019, the Game of Thrones universe has never felt more busy. Not only is prequel series House of the Dragon well underway, with a third season coming later this year, but a new addition to the franchise, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has also just debuted. The new series, which has been warmly praised by author George RR Martin, is based on his Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. It introduces us to Ser Duncan the Tall — a hedge knight still finding his place in the world — and his sharp-witted young squire Egg, as the pair travel to a major tourney that will ultimately change both their lives. Across its opening four episodes, the series has established a smaller-scale, character-driven story, beginning with Dunk burying his former mentor and striking out alone, before forming an unlikely partnership with Egg on the road to Ashford. What initially feels like a grounded tale of knighthood and honour soon pulls in powerful Targaryen princes, brutal rivalries and an ancient Trial of Seven, firmly rooting the show in Westerosi history while keeping the focus on its two central heroes. As with House of the Dragon, fans should expect to encounter familiar family names rather than familiar faces. There are no returning Game of Thrones characters here, as the story is set in a markedly different period – and that will remain the case even in the already announced second season. But just how does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fit into the wider timeline of George RR Martin’s world? Read on for a full guide to the show’s time period. When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms set on the Game of Thrones universe timeline? A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set roughly a century before the first season of Game of Thrones, the award-winning series that launched the expanded fantasy franchise. The events of the show — which adapt the first tale of Ser Dunk the Tall (played by Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (played by Dexter Sol Ansell) — take place around the year 209 After Conquest (AC). AC denotes the pivotal moment when Aegon Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms and unified the realm. As you might expect, the history of Westeros is complex and deeply layered, with around nine distinct eras documented across roughly 12,000 years of history in George RR Martin’s extensive lore. By this point in the timeline, the Targaryens still sit the Iron Throne, but the dragons are long gone. The opening episodes reflect a realm that is largely at peace, where violence exists less in world-shaking wars and more in personal cruelty, power imbalances and rigid class divisions – themes that underpin Dunk’s clash with Prince Aerion Targaryen and lead to the dramatic Trial of Seven seen at the end of episode 4. Below, we’ve ordered the HBO series by franchise chronology, alongside key events from the history of Westeros. Here’s where A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms sits within the wider Westeros timeline: 101 to 131 AC - House of the Dragon season 1 132 to 133 AC - House of the Dragon season 2 209 AC - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 298 AC - Game of Thrones season 1 299 AC - Game of Thrones season 2 299 to 300 AC - Game of Thrones season 3 300 to 305 AC - Game of Thrones seasons 4-8 Why did HBO choose this era of Westerosi history to adapt? Alongside writing five novels in the main A Song of Ice and Fire series, George RR Martin has also authored numerous prequel novellas and companion works, including The World of Ice & Fire, Fire & Blood and The Rise of the Dragon. With roughly 12,000 years of detailed Westerosi history to draw from, HBO had no shortage of potential stories following the global success of Game of Thrones. Yet despite announcing multiple spin-offs and prequels — from the Jon Snow sequel to projects centred on the Age of Heroes and Princess Nymeria — A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is only the second series, after House of the Dragon, to make it to screen. View Green Video on the source website So why this story? As the first four episodes have made clear, Dunk and Egg offer something refreshingly different. Their adventures strip Westeros back to muddy roads, smallfolk struggles and questions of what knighthood really means, rather than court politics or apocalyptic threats. They’re also among George RR Martin’s personal favourite characters. The author has said he has "loved" what he’s seen so far, praising Claffey and Ansell as “just incredible” in the roles. Set just over 90 years before Game of Thrones, the series captures a rare moment of relative stability in the realm – one that allows for a quieter, more hopeful story. It’s often considered Martin’s most warm-hearted corner of Westeros, and after years of betrayal, bloodshed and dragonfire, it’s a tone that feels very welcome indeed. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Sky and NOW. House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
What is the Blackfyre Rebellion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - the second prequel in HBO’s hit Game of Thrones franchise - has thrust viewers back into the world of Westeros, but in a fascinating new era. The latest George R.R. Martin adaptation charts the misadventures of Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as they enter the Ashford tourney in search of fortune. The amusing - and surprisingly grounded - events take place in an uncharted time, as the show is the first series to not feature any dragons, with the last one dying in 153 AC (After Conquest). Set roughly 80 years after the conclusion of the Targaryen civil war in House of the Dragon - and a further 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones - the latest series paints Westeros in relative peace under King Daeron II Targaryen’s rule. But that’s not to say it’s been plain sailing for House Targaryen, as the Great House has certainly endured its fair share of in-fighting and unrest (yes - again!), following the Blackfyre Rebellion. Here is everything you need to know about the Blackfyre Rebellion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. What is the Blackfyre Rebellion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? The Blackfyre Rebellion was another major civil war within House Targaryen, sparked by a succession crisis following the death of King Aegon IV Targaryen - you’d think they’d have learned by now after the Dance of Dragons! Often considered one of the worst Targaryen rulers, Aegon IV legitimised all of his bastard children on his deathbed, destabilising the line of succession and setting the stage for conflict. This triggered Daemon Blackfyre, one of his legitimised sons, to declare himself the rightful heir over his trueborn half-brother, King Daeron II Targaryen, igniting yet another war for the Iron Throne. Tensions were further fuelled by Aegon IV’s earlier decision to gift Daemon the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre - which has been the ancestral blade of House Targaryen. Daemon Blackfyre launched an uprising against King Daeron II Targaryen, reversing the colours of House Targaryen for his own sigil and earning the nickname 'the Black Dragon', as the conflict split the realm for roughly a year. The first Blackfyre Rebellion took place in 196 AC, around 65 years after the events of House of the Dragon (which ended in 131 AC), and roughly a decade before the events of The Hedge Knight. Which Houses took part in the Blackfyre Rebellion? The Blackfyre Rebellion was fought primarily between Great Houses loyal to House Targaryen, and those who backed the rebel faction of House Blackfyre. Support for Daemon Blackfyre was driven by several factors, including doubts over King Daeron II’s legitimacy, resentment towards Dornish influence at court, Aegon IV’s decision to gift Daemon the ancestral sword Blackfyre, and the belief that Daemon better embodied the Targaryen features compared to his trueborn half-brother. In the novels, it’s suggested that nearly half the realm declared for Daemon. His strongest support came primarily from the Reach, the Riverlands, and the stormlands, including: House Peake House Osgrey House Bracken House Yronwood House Butterwell House Costayne House Shawney House Strickland House Sunderly House Cockshaw House Risley Meanwhile, King Daeron II Targaryen retained the backing of several powerful loyalist Houses, including: House Targaryen House Martell House Arryn House Corbray House Hightower House Oakheart House Tarbeck House Lothston While the First Blackfyre Rebellion came to an end during the climactic Battle of the Redgrass Field - a bloody conflict won largely thanks to the efforts and strategy of Baelor and Maekar Targaryen - the civil war between the Black and Red dragons continued to divide Westeros for decades. View oEmbed on the source website What is the timeline of the Blackfyre Rebellions? While the first Blackfyre Rebellion culminated in Daemon I Blackfyre’s death at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, his descendants continued to vie for the Iron Throne against their Targaryen rivals across four major uprisings. The timeline of the rebellions is as follows: 196 AC - The First Blackfyre Rebellion 211–212 AC - The Second Blackfyre Rebellion 219 AC - The Third Blackfyre Rebellion 236 AC - The Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion The conflict known as the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 258 AC ultimately marked the end of the Blackfyre line, as Maelys the Monstrous - the last 'Blackfyre Pretender' - was killed during the war between King Jaehaerys II Targaryen and the Band of Nine. This finally brought the long-running Blackfyre struggle to a decisive end. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Game of Thrones seasons 1 to 8 and House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars break down episode 3's game-changing reveal: "He feels utterly betrayed"
*Warning: Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 3.* The big reveal that fans have been waiting for has finally come in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - and Egg's (Dexter Sol Ansell) weird behaviour around the Targyaryens has officially been explained. Yes, the young squire accompanying Peter Claffey's hedge knight Dunk revealed at the end of the episode that he is not just Egg, but Prince Aegon, youngest son of Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell). Everyone, let out that breath you've been holding! Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Claffey explained a little about what that game-changing reveal means for the pair. "Dunk has absolutely zero idea," he explained. "It's a shock realisation of what's going on, and the way that Ira [Parker, showrunner] wrote it - he's having a conversation with Raymun just before about Makear's kids and how much of a disaster they all are, and the way it's built up like, 'And the youngest!' It's so well done. "But I think Dunk just feels completely and utterly betrayed, I suppose. While being sort of in awe of him, and sort of like, 'Oh, my god, he saved my life,' there's just complete betrayal there, because he knew exactly how dangerous it would be for for Dunk to be seen bringing him around as a squire, or potentially giving him a clout in the ear, or asking him to do all these different things when he's a prince of the realm. So I think it's just betrayal." Despite the gravity of that moment, Ansell admits it was much more light-hearted on set. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, he revealed: "When I first read that, and my mun was reading it to me, I was like, 'Oh, wow,' because I knew he was a Targaryen from the start, but I was like, 'Oh, this is the reveal. I'm ready for this.' "So then on the day, when we're there, it's a night shoot, and it's very late for me because I'm just a kid. I was nine then, so I got very tired easily, and this was, like, at midnight. So the director brought these fizzy gummy worms. "And then this one take, it was the biggest moment, the moment where I completely reveal myself, and [the director] gives me one and then they say action, and I'm like, 'one minute, I've still got the worm in my mouth!' It was absolutely hilarious." View Green Video on the source website Meanwhile, Parker has pointed out how that moment required a lot of work in the first three episodes. He told Radio Times's Huw Fullerton: "It was very important in the first three episodes for us to deepen that bond as much as possible; for us to really show what they’re like hanging out, because obviously we knew what we were going to do, and we knew things were never going to theoretically be the same ever again. "So that was one of the places that we added a little bit to the novellas, and I think it’s paid dividends for us." A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 airs horrific death and graphic injury scene for divisive character
**Warning: contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 4.** There's just no guessing what heady heights Industry is going to reach and whilst many fans have predicted the ways in which things will fall for Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Harper (Myha'la), the most recent season 4 episode pulled quite the surprise with its ending. In the final moments of the episode, which was entitled 1000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn, things got especially sticky for controversial character, Rishi (Sagar Radia). Having returned to the season after the murder of his wife, this episode saw us learn a bit more about Rishi, who has remained an illusive figure so far this time around. It seems that on top of being at Harper's beck and call to investigate leads for her own business, Rishi has turned to dealing cocaine from his car with a mysterious woman that he's sexually involved with. In the midst of one of their car escapades, Rishi is surprised by a call from his mother-in-law who wants to meet him. We then see Rishi awkwardly sat across the table from her, asking whether his son – who is just playing a short distance away – knows who he is. She's not there for pleasantries, instead she wants Rishi's official sign-off to change his son's last name so that she can get a passport for him to take him on holiday. And so begins another Rishi spiral. As luck would have it, Rishi is later seen drinking at the very same pub in which James Dycker (Charlie Heaton) is drowning his sorrows. Having confronted Whitney (Max Minghella) during a press conference and feeling temporarily on top of the world with his own findings about Tender, the wind was taken out of James's sails after a formal complaint was lodged against him by Tender. Much like the way in which he did it to his CEO pal Jay (Kal Penn), Whitney's complaint made sure to detail James's drug usage and alleged sexual assault of Hayley (Kiernan Shipka). The allegations proved too serious and so, James's boss let him go. So, those are the emotional stakes we found both James and Rishi at when they saw each other at the pub. Of course, they both knew of each other but as this was their first official meeting, they quickly bonded over pints and cocaine. Back at Rishi's apartment, both the booze and drugs are flowing, the music is turned to a head-numbing volume and you can feel something in the air. On their way, they've picked up a random stranger (played by Martin Hancock) who warned them about a drug spiking epidemic and while many fans may have been preoccupied with his suspicious presence, we couldn't have quite predicted what would have happened next. They're in their afterparty haze, doing more drugs and adding a more misogynistic slant to the conversation, with Rishi also talking of suicide. Things get heated as James and Rishi discuss fatherhood, but also their differing views on the cards they've been dealt in the world. Thankfully, the enigmatic stranger from the pub vows to leave to get some more beers for them, which Rishi uses as his cue to head to the toilet. After coming out of the bathroom though (having done even more cocaine), Rishi finds James dead on the floor and it looks as though he's accidentally overdosed. The music – N-Trance's Set You Free at this point – proves so loud that the police have been called, who are now banging on Rishi's door. What a pickle! Rishi, who has already had plenty of experience in the judicial system after his wife's murder, starts panicking. He's already been set up for one murder and managed to evade prison time, but what will this look like? So, he makes the kind of split-second decision that viewers almost cry out for him not to. The banging on the door only intensifies as Rishi hops on the balcony railing. Is it in the hopes of escaping the police, just to hide or to die by suicide? Who knows from the night's conversations. Things get increasingly more gruesome when Rishi takes several deep breaths and jumps. But then the camera pans to a bloody Rishi on the ground, still alive but with his feet so injured and broken that they're both now facing inwards. Even in the depths of pain, Rishi is still handcuffed by police on the floor and arrested. Seeing as this is yet another deadly situation Rishi has found himself in, we can only wait to see if he can wriggle himself out of it. Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Who are the Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
A new era of Westeros brings with it a new generation of troubled Targaryens.
Ever since Game of Thrones, the on-screen world of Westeros hasn't been lacking in troubled individuals from one particular great family - the Targaryens. First, there was Daenerys and Viserys in Game of Thrones. Then, there was a whole boatload of them in House of the Dragon, the ongoing prequel series approaching its third season. Now, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has introduced us to some more, who come in to contact with Peter Claffey's Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell's Egg. The series is set roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and explores a whole new era of Westeros in which House Targaryen still rules the (largely peaceful) realm, albeit without the terrifying might of dragons. But which Targaryen currently resides on the Iron Throne, and who are entering the tourney as contestants? Here is everything you need to know about the Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Who are the key Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/01/0205AKOTSKS01-74e8f08.jpg" width="6000" height="4000" alt="Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Prince Baelor Targaryen, Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" title="Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Prince Baelor Targaryen, Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" /> A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms features several notable members from House Targaryen as they journey to Ashford for the festivities. At this point in Westerosi history, King Daeron II Targaryen – known as Daeron the Good – rules the Iron Throne alongside his wife, Queen Myriah Martell. Set around 13 years after the end of the first Blackfyre Rebellion, the realm remains shadowed by the conflict, with lingering resentments and divided loyalties continuing to influence events – particularly among the more volatile members of the royal family. Prince Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen Prince Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) is the firstborn son of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell, and currently serves as both Crown Prince of Dragonstone and Hand of the King. Widely regarded as one of the wisest, most respected and chivalrous Targaryens of his generation, Baelor is also a proven commander and formidable warrior - qualities that mark him as a truly worthy heir to the Iron Throne. In the books, Baelor earned the name “Breakspear” after defeating Ser Daemon Blackfyre on the tourney field at just 17 years old. He also played a pivotal role in the first Blackfyre Rebellion, leading Dornish and Stormlands forces against Daemon's rebel army and driving them towards the shield-wall commanded by his brother, Prince Maekar. Baelor married Jena Dondarrion, and the couple had the following children: Prince Valarr Targaryen Prince Matarys Targaryen At the Ashford tourney, Prince Baelor arrives with his son, Prince Valarr, and his brother, Prince Maekar and Maekar’s second-born son, Aerion “Brightflame". In The Hedge Knight novella, Prince Valarr is one of the five champions fighting on behalf of Lady Ashford at the tourney. Prince Maekar Targaryen Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) is the fourth-born son of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell and the Prince of Summerhall – the Targaryen castle located in the Stormlands. In contrast to his charismatic elder brother, Maekar is stern, impatient and judgemental, excelling more as a battlefield commander than a political leader. He played a crucial role in the first Blackfyre rebellion, commanding the shield wall that trapped the rebel forces as his brother’s army drove them forward. The decisive battle inspired the song The Hammer and the Anvil, with Baelor likened to the hammer and Maekar to the anvil. Maekar married Lady Dyanna Dayne, and together they had the following six children: Prince Daeron Targaryen Prince Aerion Targaryen Prince Aemon Targaryen Prince Daella Targaryen Prince Aegon Targaryen Princess Rhae Targaryen In the Hedge Knight novella, Prince Maekar attends the Ashford tourney to watch his two eldest sons – Prince Daeron and Prince Aerion – compete in the jousting ceremony. Prince Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen (Finn Bennett) is the second-born son of Prince Maekar Targaryen and Dyanna Dayne, and embodies some of the more dangerous traits of the Targaryen dynasty. Though he styles himself “Aerion Brightflame”, believing he is a dragon in human form, others know him as "Aerion the Monstrous" – a cruel, sadistic figure afflicted by the infamous Targaryen madness. Volatile, violent and arrogant, Aerion proves to be a dangerous presence at the Ashford tourney. While the royal family primarily attends to bolster Prince Valarr’s reputation as a formidable champion, Aerion and his brother are also encouraged to compete. However, Aerion has little interest in honour or restraint, seeking opportunities instead to indulge his darker impulses. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Game of Thrones seasons 1 to 8 and House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Harry Potter TV series has release window confirmed by HBO boss - and it's sooner than you might expect
The boy wizard is returning to screens in 2027.
The Harry Potter TV series has officially had its release window confirmed by HBO boss Casey Bloys. The upcoming series, which see youngster Dominic McLaughlin take over the role of the boy wizard, will hit screens in "early 2027," Bloys has confirmed. During a recent interview with Deadline, Bloys decided to "narrow down" the window, saying: “We’ve been saying 2027. I would say, to narrow it down to some extent, early 2027. And now you’re going to ask, does that mean January, February, March, April, that we’re not ready to say. I’ll say early 2027.” News has gradually been emerging about the new adaptation of JK Rowling's novels, with it recently being confirmed that Hans Zimmer and his collective of composers, named Bleeding Fingers, are tapped to compose the score for the series. Meanwhile, much like the original films, a whole host of British acting royalty will be bringing the characters to life. Newcomers Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout will play will play Hermione and Ron, while John Lithgow is set to play Albus Dumbledore. We'll also see Nick Frost take on the role of half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, with Paapa Essiedu as Snape and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall. One role that's still a little up in the air is that of dark wizard Voldemort - although it's been widely rumoured that Cillian Murphy has been cast, with original Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes recently adding fuel to the fire. Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall. Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”. In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”. Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received. The Harry Potter TV series will premiere in early 2027 on HBO Max. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Sex, violence and tragedy: What TV like Game of Thrones gets right – and very wrong – about medieval knights
It's time to sort the fact from the fantasy.
At a first glance, the world of Westeros doesn't exactly scream historical accuracy. It might be the dragons... But, just for a moment, put that to one side, look at the texture of Westeros, and you'll no doubt see how inspired George RR Martin was by Europe in the Middle Ages in writing his series A Song of Ice and Fire (which has been adapted into Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and potentially more...). From the politics and the tournaments, to quieter elements like the danger of childbirth, Westeros borrows plenty from real-life – but, as with any TV or film adaptation, there's also a lot it gets wrong, exaggerates, switches up, or misses out. So, to find out what's fact and what's fantasy, RadioTimes.com caught up with Dr Hugh Doherty, Lecturer in Medieval History at UEA (who consulted on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) and Dr Thomas Asbridge, historian at Queen Mary University of London – and what they told us might just surprise you. Tournaments were not as violent as you'd think It's not unusual for jousting tournaments to be depicted as bloody affairs – but that's not quite the truth. "They were meant to be bloodless," Dr Doherty points out. "The emphasis was on capturing your enemies in the field or unhorsing them as the tournament rules develop over the 14th century, and violence was shunned – but [accidents] did happen, and there are charges of murder. "The very famous example is where a knight in 1252 ran his lance into the throat of the opposing knight. They'd all agreed to use blunted lances and swords, which was a development of the late 12th century, and he had not used a blunted lance. "He'd used a pointed lethal lance. And so this knight was suspected of murder. So there are instances of where knights and noblemen used this as a way of settling scores." Earlier melees, though? That's where the violence came in. Dr Asbridge explains: "Often it said's, for Game of Thrones, that [the medieval equivalent is] the 14th or 15th century, that it's the Wars of the Roses, or maybe some elements of the The Hundred Years' War. "The period I'm most interested in is earlier and it's where we see the birth of knighthood, the birth of chivalry and the emergence of tournament, and tournaments in that era were pretty brutal, bloody affairs and pretty dangerous affairs as well. But they're not really concerned with jousting. Jousting becomes much more popular once you get to the mid part of the 13th century and onwards, and eventually overtakes tournaments completely." "In the early period, tournaments were essentially organised war games. So they wouldn't be fought in an arena. They'd be fought over a swathe of terrain that might be 30 miles by 30 miles square. And you wouldn't fight individually. You'd fight in a band, in a group. You wouldn't have blunted weapons. Your goal, basically was to take as many captives as possible. That's how you won the game, and then you made those people ransom themselves, usually in return for cash or for for goods. "That's something that they reference in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is also accurate. But lots of people died, certainly lots of people got injured... By the time you get to jousting being the more prominent element, it's still dangerous, but they are usually using blunted lances and things like that. So they're attempting to mitigate the danger somewhat." Dr Doherty adds: "Here in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, I thought they brilliantly captured the dynamism of tournaments. I could feel the hooves, never mind see and hear them. I was utterly gripped. I think it's never been done like this." But the politics were just as brutal as seen on screen Speaking about what he is most impressed with in terms of historical accuracy in Game of Thrones, Dr Doherty adds: "In many ways, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, they are all more medieval in their texture than many dramatisations about the Middle Ages... "George RR Martin understands the Middle Ages brilliantly. You know when Ned Stark [Sean Bean] is executed? It's not just the execution of him, but it's the fall of the entire house. His residence in King's Landing is sacked, people are put to the sword. They're humiliated, their belongings are looted. That's so realistic. "I thought the transfer of power in House of the Dragon, the politics of when the king died, I thought that was brilliantly done – the way that they tried to manipulate the levers of power. There's no more dangerous moment in the history of a kingdom than the death of a ruler, because all bets are off then, at every level of society. And I think they bring that up brilliantly." Dr Asbridge adds: "What I was really impressed with was the ability to convey the wider repercussions of war – the damage that that could do to society. The political machinations and what they describe as the Game of Thrones – that's also [well done]." People were cleaner and less coarse than depicted Dr Doherty says: "Sometimes they do like to emphasise the grossness [on TV] but, in reality, the evidence is clear that they emphasised charm and good manners and etiquette. "Western society is very violent, and this coexists with this elegance and this charm. The men who are hacking at each other in great battles, in The Hundred Years' War, can then appear in costume, dressed as animals or figures from the classical mythology and dance the night away and charm. "So in Game of Thrones – and it's understandable, because it makes brilliant television – there's an emphasis the coarseness, but that's something that knightly society looked down upon... "The Middle Ages, I think, contrary to popular popular belief, really did emphasise cleanliness. They didn't have our understanding of of hygiene, but they certainly cherished it, and they looked for it, they just didn't have our power showers and antibiotics and all the rest of it." And their sex lives may have been a bit different to what's shown Of course, you can't ignore the role of sex in Game of Thrones. Speaking about how that compares to reality, Dr Doherty points out: "It's complex because it's actually our evidence on this is quite thin. "We do have churchmen complaining about those who attended tournaments misbehaving with opportunities for lust – so that hints at the kind of things that are going on... "It's largely the elite sleeping with each other, including men with men and so on, rather than lots of harlots and courtesans – but they're there too. They must have been. The evidence that comes to mind for me is the the presence of courtesans and prostitutes in crusading armies, because you have complaints by churchmen or very devout knights about the presence of prostitutes in the army. "And prostitutes were part of medieval life, of urban life, so they must have been present in all sorts of ways." Knighthood was a ladder Meanwhile, the idea using knighthood to rising through the ranks of society is pretty spot on. "I think the most important thing that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms gets right is this notion that knighthood could be a way to progression," Dr Asbridge points out. "You know he famous line that Petyr Baelish [Aidan Gillen] used in Game of Thrones: "Chaos is a ladder'? Well, knighthood was a ladder. It was a means for people who were from lower social orders – not from the peasantry in most cases – for them to rise through the ranks, sometimes just to achieve wealth and possession of land, sometimes to become some of the most powerful people in a particular realm or region. "So that, I think, they really get right. I don't know where [Dunk] is going to go as a character, but I'm assuming that's what it's about – that he's coming from this lowest point at the start, and that, I think, is a very accurate reflection of what knighthood could do." But being a lordless knight was a "fragile existence" But Dr Asbridge adds: "The other thing I'm intrigued to see is how much emphasis they place on Dunk being what they call a hedge knight – a knight without a lord. "The other thing that's really apparent from studying real medieval knights is what they treasured more than anything else was being part of a group - the safety that, once you were part of what we call a household, a tight knit group around a lord, that gave you shelter. "There's a famous image that the contemporaries use. They describe the lord as being like a tree, and you would shelter under the branches of his protection, and it's a reciprocal relationship. He seems very chivalrous by having a large group of knights supporting him, and they gain protection from the storm of the outside world. Outside of that protection, it's a really fragile existence." Women had a more crucial role than shown on screen One criticism of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so far is that there's just a lack of prominent women on screen. Speaking specifically about women's roles at tournaments, Dr Doherty explains: "They're very much not just passive actors. They were there in the audience from at least the 13th century, but probably much earlier. Often, in the 14th century, they'd escort knights onto the field. They'd give prizes. Often knights, to the anger of certain churchmen, would wear gifts given to them by the women on their banners. So it's a statement of loyalty to these women." He adds: "Tournaments were like film festivals – there's the action in watching the film, and there's all the soirees and dinners and all of that, and the same with tournaments. There was the action on the field, which was gripping and exciting. And then there were the feasts, the dancing, the drinks, the conversations. Women would have a very, very important role in these moments, in all sorts of ways. "Lots of marriage deals must have been thrashed out then. High politics was sorted out. There's been a very good study recently of one of one of the most famous jousts in 1390, in which three knights fought for about 30 days. That's some physical achievement! "They challenged all of Europe to turn up and challenge them. And about 40 knights from across Europe appear to have turned up from Poland, from Spain, above all from England. And while they're fighting up the road not far outside of Calais, English and French ambassadors were trying to thrash out a peace between the two kingdoms. So there's room for high politics there as well." And some of the tragedy of Thrones is spot on For Dr Doherty, one of the most affecting scenes from the world of Westeros came in House of the Dragon's first episode, which saw Queen Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) tragically die while giving birth. "Childbirth for women, was the great killer of the Middle Ages," he explains. "Those scenes of childbirth in the first season are done so well. I really thought, wow, that that does underline the horrors of childbirth for women in the Middle Ages and before the 20th century." It's very tricky to nail the role of religion Considering his biggest pet peeve when it comes to how the Middle Ages are dramatised on TV, Dr Asbridge says: "I have a pet peeve, but I don't have an answer to it. I've often thought, how do you accurately represent the role of religion, underpinning both knighthood and much of the warfare that took place during the Middle Ages? "I think the reality is that most people authentically believed in what they were doing. It might seem very unpleasant to us to to recognise that, to accept that, but I think that's the medieval reality. "But, in a fictionalised account, it's very difficult to have your character be a very devout Christian in medieval terms, and for modern people to understand that, because Christianity meant something different in that era as well. "Most of the people who went on a crusade, for example, probably authentically believed that they were doing God's work, appalling as we might think that would be today. I can understand why it's difficult to convey, but it makes it very artificial, most of the depictions of that kind of impulse, I think." And historians have plenty of questions for George RR Martin Dr Asbridge finishes our interview by dwelling on a question that's plagued him since reading A Song of Ice and Fire. "It's a peculiar feature of all of George RR Martin's universe, that there seems to be no change over time," he ponders. "They mentioned this in the first episode [of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms], that they've been having tournaments here for thousands of years. "And one of the things that we know about, at the very least human military technology, it's always a race. It's always about, okay, so you develop this type of armour, we'll find a new type of weapon to try and defeat it. You develop this type of weapon, we'll try and find a new way of defeating that – and it creates change over time. "So if you were to look at the way in which war was fought in 1050 and the way it was fought by 1300, they're very different. But it seems very static in the world that he's created. I'd love to know why he's done that, or whether he has some explanation in his mind for why there's this inability to develop in the world of Game of Thrones." Over to you, George! A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Sky and NOW - find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Harry Potter legend Ralph Fiennes reveals his pick to play Voldemort in TV series - but has he revealed who has been cast?
The actor appeared to let the cat out of the bag.
Ralph Fiennes has appeared to reveal who has been cast as Voldemort in the upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation. Rumours have been rife about who could be portraying 'He Who Cannot Be Named' in the series following the casting of the three young leads, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and many of the other major players. Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy was previously rumoured to be being considered for the role, but the actor recently denied speculation that he was involved. But speaking in a recent interview at an event, Fiennes, who portrayed the iconic villain in the film series, appeared to let the cat out of the bag. Asked who he thinks should fill his shoes for Voldemort – who doesn't technically appear in person until Harry Potter's fourth book, The Goblet of Fire – in the upcoming HBO show, Fiennes responded: "Well, I’m told they’re already filled, aren’t they?" When the journalist asked the question again, Ralph responded: "I’ve already said, I think Cillian Murphy is very good." He continued: "Very good. Very good choice. I think they’ve cast it, haven’t they?" As it dawned on the actor that the casting of Voldemort is yet to be revealed, he added: “I don’t know. I thought they had." The leading three stars of the upcoming TV series were confirmed back in May after months of speculation. The show will be led by newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. McLaughlin has appeared in Sky Original comedy Grow, while Stanton may be familiar to some musical fans, having appeared in the West End production of Matilda, as well as the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of Starlight Express. Stout has appeared in TV advertisements. Other previously announced castings include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show) as Argus Filch. Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall. Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”. In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”. Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received. The Harry Potter series will air on HBO. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Industry season 4 airs surprising sex scene and marks return of controversial character
Industry takes a trip to Austria – but not all is quite as it seems.
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 3.* Another week, another episode of Industry that continues to leave us with jaws on the floor and this time around, the fourth episode (entitled Habseligkeiten) not only saw Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Henry (Kit Harington) introduce a new lover into their equation – but also ended with the surprise return of one very controversial character. As Henry continued to worry about his new role as Tender CEO, Yasmin was right on hand to offer support and guidance as a wife and supposed Tender colleague. "I'd be dead without you, you know that?" Henry tells his wife but as Tender prepares to get their banking licence, there's unrest within the Tender board. They're told that the Bauer family (Moritz-Hunter Bauer and his mother Johanna Bauer) may have voted in favour of the merger, but they're now audibly voicing their concerns about it. It's a problem for Whitney (Max Minghella) and the company seeing as they hold two board seats. While those seats are legacy seats (because they sold their 300-year-old family bank) and Whitney thinks they should just shut up, Henry says they need to quell any unrest so that Tender can get their banking licence. The Bauer's issues are seemingly with GDPR but as referenced in that meeting, the Bauer family seemingly financed "the Reich" – even if there's an argument to be made that they have since donated money to Holocaust survivors. Yasmin suggests that going to see them in person in Austria is a good idea and so, Henry decides that it'd be best for the company for them all to go to quell any dissension from the Bauer family. But it's in Vienna where the real cracks start to show as Moritz talks about how Western liberalism has failed. He doubles down on the fact that his politics and his business are one and the same, citing the need to retain traditionalism in both worlds. While we may expect Henry and Whitney to appease Moritz for the sake of the company, in a private conversation away from them, Henry calls Moritz out for being a fascist. Yasmin actually doesn't seem to have that much of a problem with his opinions despite her own background but Henry doesn't think they should pander to Moritz's views and neither does Whitney, with both of them keen to leave. However, Yasmin thinks they should stay and says that she will in the morning. That evening, though, things take a particularly steamy turn as Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) comes to Yasmin and Henry's room with three possible FinDigest rebuttals from Whitney. Yasmin says she could've emailed them but soon talk turns to Hayley being sexually frustrated and Henry, coming out of the shower shirtless, is pulled into the conversation. Yasmin then begins to orchestrate an unexpected threesome, with Henry initially unsure but then continuing to kiss Hayley. However, Yasmin's disposition starts to change as she walks to the table opposite, sits down and starts lighting a cigarette. We then see her order Hayley and Henry around as they have sex, finishing off the surprising turn of events by telling Hayley: "I think you have something that belongs to my husband and now, to me." The next morning, Yasmin and Johanna are the only people left at the house as the men have left, with Whitney and Henry having travelled back to London for the banking deadline. In that conversation, Yasmin offers up the possibility of getting Moritz published in a national newspaper, talking about the weight of legacy media and her own connections. While Johanna may seem to be a quiet mousy figure, she then surprises Yasmin by saying that her son's views are really rooted in common sense. She laughs and urges Yasmin to agree with her, which Yasmin uneasily eventually does. Later on, when Yasmin is back in her room packing her bag, she looks at one of the paintings on the walls of the castle in which they're staying in. On closer inspection, she sees Adolf Hitler's signature in the corner, which leaves her shocked and open-mouthed, simply left to look at her surroundings with a newfound disgust. Do Henry and Whitney's words from the night before ring out to her in a new way now? Quite possibly for a fraction of a moment – but nothing deters Yasmin in her plans to get Moritz on side. Lo and behold when they're back in London, Henry is annoyed to see that Moritz has been given a one-page piece in the newspaper. Yasmin tells him that she organised the spread with his uncle Alexander (Andrew Havill) and she tells Henry that she thinks the deal wouldn't have gone through without her giving Moritz a chance to air his views in such a way. However, Henry uses the opportunity to bring up their evening with Hayley, telling Yasmin that it didn't feel right but she simply says: "I was just bold enough to know what to give you." All the while, in the background of the episode, Harper is chasing leads and trying to find out more about Tender by going through their transactions and history. Tender has acquired multiple payment processors in Africa but Harper can't seem to get through to anyone to enquire about anything. After getting a scoop of their own about Tender's payment processing system and the way it logs consumer products, she officially hires Sweetpea, giving her her word that she's going to follow through on this new venture and not just leave. Riding that wave of their own at the end of the episode, we see Harper, Eric and Sweetpea all waiting in the lobby of an office building for some kind of meeting. We don't know who they're waiting for until a surprise character returns to our screens: Kenny Kilbane (Conor MacNeill). As they walk into the building with him, Harper tells Kenny that they want to place a short with him. But as they get into the lift, Eric uses the chance to try and apologise to Kenny. If you cast your mind back to season 3's premiere, Eric viciously fired Kenny after the pair grew increasingly close. In the time elapsed between seasons 2 and 3, it was clear that Kenny had clearly become one of the only support systems for Eric, with the pair confiding and sharing in their personal struggles with alcohol. Even though their bond was tight, Eric fired Kenny in a surprise move which shocked viewers and Kenny alike. So, it's safe to say that their reunion isn't all rainbows and roses as they awkwardly shift into the lift together. "Well, it's not the worst thing anyone's ever done," Kenny says as he breaks out into a smile. MacNeill had previously told RadioTimes.com that he didn't know whether he'd be back for any more Industry, saying: "Kenny's gone from Pierpoint – at the end of season 3, Pierpoint is gone itself. I don’t know is the God's honest truth. It felt very explosive." He added: "I'm really excited to see where season 4 goes because they've got an entirely clean slate with Pierpoint being gone. And look, these people are ruthless. I think Harper Stern and Eric Tao and Yasmin – I just love watching those characters, I could watch them all day. I have no idea where it goes, but it will be an amazing watch, no doubt because Mickey [Down] and Konrad [Kay] are such clever writers." But what exactly's next for this Kenny/Eric/Harper partnership and how will Yasmin's new dynamic with Hayley play out? It's safe to say we're primed for some expectedly hefty fallout to be coming our way. Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US. Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
House of the Dragon season 3: Release date speculation, cast and plot news
Keep up with the Targaryens with our House of Dragon season 3 guide.
*Warning: Spoilers ahead for all episodes of House of the Dragon season 2.* House of the Dragon season 3 is on its way this year! The spin-off to Game of Thrones, which tackles the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of Dragons, hundreds of years before the arrival of Queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), has been away from our screens for two years but will soon be back for new episodes. The last season ended with a brutal battle being prepared for as the forces of the Blacks, allied to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), and the Greens, allied to her wounded younger half-brother King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). So, if you're waiting for House of the Dragon season 3 and the future of the Targaryen dynasty, and, most importantly, make sure to check back regularly as we'll be updating this guide with more information as it gets revealed. House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation House of the Dragon season 3 is due to be released in Summer 2026. Actor Matt Smith suggested that the episodes would be released in August 2026, but this has yet to be confirmed by HBO. House of the Dragon was renewed for season 3 in June 2024, before season 2 had even been released, demonstrating tremendous faith in the Thrones spin-off. The series is set to return for a fourth and final season, too. In the meantime, the new spin-off series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has begun airing on HBO in the US and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. Who will be in the cast of House of the Dragon season 3? Currently, the following cast members are confirmed for House of the Dragon season 3. Matt Smith as King Consort Daemon Targaryen Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland Lannister Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers Tom Bennett as Ulf White TBC as Prince Daeron Targaryen James Norton as Lord Ormund Hightower Tommy Flanagan as Lord Roderick Dustin Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly Tom Cullen as Ser Luthor Largent Joplin Sibtain as Ser Jon Roxton Barry Sloane as Ser Adrian Redfort Annie Shapero as Lady Alysanne Blackwood In terms of new arrivals, it's been revealed that James Norton will be joining the cast as Lord Ormund Hightower, the cousin of Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower, and the Lord of Highgarden and Lord Paramount of the Reach. Elsewhere, Tommy Flanagan will play Lord Roderick Dustin, a Northern lord and ally to Rhaenyra, and Tom Cullen will portray Ser Luthor Largent, the Commander of the City Watch who is loyal to Daemon. Meanwhile, Dan Fogler will portray Ser Torrhen Manderly, another Northern ally to Rhaenyra, while Joplin Sibtain will portray Ser Jon Roxton, the head of House Roxton and an ally to the Greens. Finally, Barry Sloane will play Ser Adrian Redfort, a member of Rhaenyra's Queensguard, and Annie Shapero will portray the Northern warrior woman and ally to Rhaenyra, Lady Alysanne Blackwood. One character we do know for sure that we're going to meet in season 3 is the long-awaited Daeron Targaryen, Aegon and Aemond's brother! Asked in a recent press conference whether we would finally meet him, Condal confirmed with a "yes" – although the actor to play him has not yet been cast, to our knowledge. He also referenced the Targaryen brothers when speaking about Helaena's storyline, adding: "The decision to expand Helaena’s character was that we, were fascinated by Alicent’s family and Aegon and Aemond, and certainly at some point in the story, even Daeron – the beloved, anticipated Daeron – get a lot of the screen time and the storytelling time because they're the males, they're the dragon riding warriors. "But Helena was always fascinating to us because she was a bit of a tabula rasa, as described in the book." Elsewhere, many viewers were excited at the prospect of seeing Nettles, a fan-favourite character from the books who claims the dragon Sheepstealer, appear in season 2. For now, though, her story has been conflated with that of Princess Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), which has left many fans disappointed. However, during a press conference, Condal hinted that we might still see her in future. When asked about whether Nettles has been fully written out of the show, he responded: "I think that's a, ‘Please stay tuned and keep watching the story.’ I will say that we love Rhaena as a character, and we've really done a lot of legwork to set her up from the beginning as somebody in this Targaryen household who does not have a dragon." View Affiliate Playlist on the source website He added: "I think the Rhaena story, as we're seeing it unfold, is potentially one of those interesting interpretations that we have to offer. And I would just say that we don't do any stuff lightly or without thought. Many of these things we've planned many seasons in advance. So I would just say, you know, buckle up and take the ride with us. And hopefully you like the destination it's going to." Meanwhile, in the final episode, we met a new character in the form of a gender-swapped Admiral Lohar, played by Abigail Thorn. We'd certainly expect her and other characters introduced this season to return for more. As for returning faces, we'd certainly expect most of the Targaryen clan to be back in business as we head towards season 3. The final episodes of the season have also placed greater emphasis on the dragonseeds, or the Targaryen bastards, including Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and Ulf White (Tom Bennett), so we'd expect them to take on a bigger role going forward. In the finale, we also saw Joshua Ben-Tovim appear in a vision to Daemon Targaryen as Ser Brynden Rivers, AKA Lord Bloodraven. Could we see more from him in the future? One character we're not expecting to see back, however, is the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen (played by Eve Best). In a shocking and brutal episode 4, the beloved character was killed off in a fiery clash with Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), who also left his own brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), badly wounded. While fans were also excited to see the appearance of Blood and Cheese, played by Sam C Wilson and Mark Stobbart, we're certainly not expecting to see them back for any more either. Similarly, episode 1 saw the brutal death of a young Jaehaerys Targaryen, the eldest son of Aegon Targaryen. That said, we're also not ruling out flashback scenes – especially after the shock returns of season 2. Fans were stunned to see the return of Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra and Paddy Considine as the late King Viserys as part of Daemon Targaryen's visions. Could old cast members be back for more? We could also see the arrival of even more Targaryen children, as some of them haven't been born yet, including Aegon's younger son, Prince Maelor, who, in the book, had a role to play in the Blood and Cheese storyline. In the show, however, Condal reasoned that, due to shortened timelines, Maelor couldn't be born yet. Condal explained to RadioTimes.com: "In our writing of season 1, we had to compress time a bit to get through 30 years of history, essentially, in what ended up being 20 years, just so that we didn't have to recast every character. "I think as time marches on longer and longer, it becomes more challenging to tell all that story in one season, and season 1 was a challenge in and of itself. "So, essentially, we made 30 years happen in 20 years, and that just meant some of the youngest kids in the story weren't around, or were younger than they are in the books – Rhaenyra and Daemon's children, for one, and then certainly Helaena and Aegon. Maelor is not yet in the narrative in this, in the story, so that was a change." That might suggest the new generation of Targaryen children is on the way in season 3, but take this with a pinch of salt until it's officially confirmed. What could House of the Dragon season 3 be about? We don't know all the specifics of the plot of season 3 just yet, but we'd expect it to continue to follow Martin's book Fire & Blood – albeit with some deviations along the way, as we've seen in season 1 and season 2. However, there are certain book events we're expecting to see. Look away now if you don't want to see any book spoilers! Speaking in the post-episode featurette, Condal said: "While this season was very much about the fits and starts of an early medieval war, season three is clearly going to be about total war." We're expecting to see the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet, a brutal and bloody sea battle that many fans had been anticipating in season 2. Asked about why he postponed showing it, Condal said it's down to balancing the number of big events we have in each season. He said: "We were trying to give the Gullet, which is maybe the second most anticipated event of Fire and Blood, the time and the space that it deserves. And obviously, as anybody that's seen the finale knows, we're building to that, that event will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling of House of the Dragon. "Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off. And we just wanted to have the time, the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans and in the way it’s deserved." Judging from where we leave off in season 2, we're also expecting Rhaenyra to take her rightful place on the Iron Throne in season 3. Showrunner Ryan Condal previously told RadioTimes.com of future seasons: "There's a history that marches on for decades after this. So it's not about ending the Targaryen history. It's just finding the place to close the curtain on this particular time… "We're trying to find the satisfying television ending or the conclusion where we can leave everybody knowing that time marches on from here, but we've brought this dramatic story to a close. "So, I think that's become very clear as we've just gotten farther down the timeline. But I'm not ready to yet talk about how many episodes or seasons are left. "But I think the nice thing is we know where we're going, we have all the material that we need, because the book is written and hopefully we can bring this to a satisfying conclusion." Meanwhile, Emma D'Arcy told IGN: "Oh my God, by the end of season 2, I was a f**king shell of myself. "I was a husk. I could not form a sentence. I was so tired. I need to implement some way of getting through season 3, if there’s a season 3, to really harness as much energy as possible. It is a behemoth." How many episodes could House of the Dragon season 3 consist of? House of the Dragon season 3 will consist of eight episodes. When asked about season 3's episode count at a press conference, the showrunner said: "Without saying anything, because I haven't had discussions with HBO about it, I would just anticipate the cadence of the show from a dramatic storytelling perspective will continue to be the same from season 2 on." Season 1 consisted of 10 episodes, while season 2 consisted of eight episodes. In terms of episode length, we'd again expect the episodes to range from 50 to 70 minutes, depending on how much needs to be covered in one particular episode. Season 2 episode 8 was the show's longest episode yet, with the finale clocking in at 73 minutes. How many seasons of House of the Dragon will there be? House of the Dragon will have four seasons before concluding, as Condal mentioned at the recent press conference. That means we're currently halfway through the show's run. Is there a trailer for House of the Dragon season 3? Not yet! We'll keep this page updated with any footage that comes our way. However, some footage is available in this 2026 preview for HBO. View oEmbed on the source website House of the Dragon seasons 1 to 2 are available on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' most graphic scene so far makes a crucial point about the show
Plenty of people have had a s**t time of it in Westeros, but few have had it quite as bad as Dunk (Peter Claffey). A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms begins with the modest hedge knight in mourning. Once Dunk has wiped away his tears, the plan is to honour his late master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), in a jousting tournament nearby. But before he heads off to compete, another task must be completed first. It's all very serious as Dunk buries Arlan with all the gravitas you might expect from a show set in this world. The music swells and builds ceremoniously as the hero's journey is about to begin… And then we suddenly cut to Dunk defecating by a tree. It's not a brief dump either. The camera cuts from a modest overhead shot to a wide angle where we can see the full extent of the poop spraying out from Dunk's behind. Targaryens will get down and dirty in all kinds of ways, often with their own siblings, but you'd never catch one of them doing that. Not on camera anyway. Of course, Dunk doesn't know he's being watched by us either. Poor guy. And things are about to get a whole lot worse for him before they get better… It's tempting to assume the graphic nature of this scene has been included this early on just for shock value. Games of Thrones is hardly known for taming things down, after all. But like a doctor looking through a stool for answers, we too can learn a lot about Dunk and this show's outlook through a messy scene like this. There's the abrupt shift in tone for one. While both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are rather serious (for the most part), leading with this bowel movement early on establishes that this ain't your nana's Westeros — not by any means. Humour is as integral to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as knights and kingdoms are. It's there in the way people greet each other — "What you gawping at, you blue eyed c**t?" — and it's there in the crueller putdowns too, like when a woman says early on, "A hedge knight is like a knight, but sadder." None of this is funny for Dunk, of course, just as it's not amusing to poop outside without a roll of bog paper to wipe up. But this kind of callous toilet humour situates the show in a very different place than previous visits to Westeros, making us laugh while also establishing the realities of life for an everyman who wasn't fortunate enough to be born into nobility. This outlook differentiates A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms from both Thrones and House of the Dragon in ways that this franchise sorely needed. There's only so many times you can circle back to nobility in Westeros before risking repetition, and as this series proves, there's a whole world out there full of interesting new stories to navigate. To be fair, Game of Thrones did manage this to some degree, and once even with poop as well. Remember at the start of season seven when Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) began maester training only to discover that this entailed cleaning up human waste? Bradley spoke to Vulture about the importance of this bedpan sequence at the time: "The first time we see Sam, he’s being put through abject misery compared to how elated he was when he first arrived at the Citadel at the end of season six. He’s so disenchanted with it all, realizing that after all the time he’s invested in the Wall all these years, he’s now away from everybody." "Sam is restless and angry," adds Bradley, "and he feels he’s letting Jon down. The scene makes you believe all that. It’s a very functional scene at establishing his psychology and his motives going into this season, but it does it in a very entertaining and, hopefully, very funny way." Just as this sequence highlighted the contrast between noble life and the gritty toil of scholarly pursuits, so too does the excrement in Seven Kingdoms, which points to hardship for Dunk. As showrunner Ira Parker told RadioTimes.com and other outlets, "The moment behind the tree is so important to season 1. [It's] Dunk feeling this call to try something really hard, to go out there and to be a knight... "He so badly wants it, he picks up the story, feels this call, but then, of course, like all of us, whenever we try to do something new and hard that we've never done before, your guts just turn to water. "He's not a hero, yet, he's not this fake version of a hero that senses his destiny and goes out and grabs it. He is a human being like me and you. He wants things, but he doesn't exactly know how to get the better things, and his journey this season is going to be about whether or not he can endure the trials of knighthood, and actually rise to the occasion." Nothing says you're struggling like pooping under a tree and sleeping out in the open. But we're not just meant to feel sorry for Dunk. This is simply the life of an everyman in Westeros, yet even so, this humble hedge knight doesn't let it get him down. By establishing Dunk's world as a cruel one, it's all the more impressive when he sticks to his guns in the face of great difficulty. With Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) by his side, Dunk's belief in what's right never falters and that makes him a hero worth rooting for. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the ruling class above him whose merest whims can send our hedge knight spiralling. Dunk has been dealt a s**t hand, and I'm not just talking about the lack of toilet paper in that field. But, this is exactly what sets A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms apart and makes it a worthy extension of George R. R. Martin's world. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on 19th January 2026 on Sky Atlantic and NOW and airs in the US on HBO. Game of Thrones seasons 1 to 8 and House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.