All great things must come to an end – or so the saying goes. And any Game of Thrones fans hoping to prove otherwise will be disappointed this morning as US network HBO have announced the fantasy series will conclude after its eighth series.

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HBO programming chief Casey Bloys broke the news at the Television Critics Association's conference in America, confirming previous reports that the record-breaking show will run for two more seasons, based on George RR Martin's epic tale.

Bloys added that were he able to convince showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to bring their total to 10, he would have done:

"Yes, I think [Benioff and Weiss] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do. If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons, but we want to take their lead with what they can do and what the best version of the show is."

As it stands, the seventh season of Game of Thrones will air in summer next year and comprise of seven episodes instead of the usual 10. The series usually begins its run in April and the delay will take it out of the Emmys race – although Bloys added: "it's always better to win more Emmys... that's not our main goal."

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The HBO boss also teased fans with discussions he'd had with Benioff and Weiss about possible spin-offs, saying the network was "open to it, [the producers] aren't opposed to it, but there's no concrete plans right now."

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Looks like that Jon Snow standalone series might not be off the cards after all, then...

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