Meet the real-life muggles named Harry Potter
How sharing a name with the Boy Who Lived transfigured the lives of a knighted criminal lawyer, a fitness guru and more.
This article was originally published on 29 March 2018, and the interviews carried out that year. Just before midnight on 1 November 1981, a rather severe-looking woman named Minerva McGonagall made a revelatory prediction. Although only a tabby cat mere minutes before, she was now standing beside a tall elderly man known as Albus Dumbledore, the two animatedly discussing the orphan baby they would soon leave on the darkened footsteps of number 4 Privet Drive. "This boy will be famous!” McGonagall whispered to her companion, who was placing yet another lemon drop in the mouth hiding beneath his flowing silver beard. "There will be books written about him – every child in our world will know his name!” She was, of course, completely correct. The baby, a young wizard called Harry Potter, would soon possess one of the most celebrated names on the planet. It was a name that became emblazoned across JK Rowling's novels, which went on to sell 500 million copies worldwide in 74 languages. Four syllables that would garner their own registered trademark and font. And even today, almost 30 years since The Philosopher's Stone was published, ‘Harry Potter’ is still a name more popular on Google than Donald Trump, Taylor Swift and Jesus Christ. Though, however right McGonagall's prophecy was, she had overlooked something huge. While the Boy Who Lived would soon bear the world’s most famous name, so too would a set of other Harry Potters across the country. The estimated 23 Harry Potters of voting age residing in the UK, for instance. Although having no dealings with Hogwarts, Hagrids, Horcruxes, Hedwigs, Hippogriffs or Hufflepuffs, these Harry Potters would forever now be entwined with conversations about the wizarding world – whether they wanted to or not. Is the name a permanent curse to their lives or simply a spellbinding conversation starter? Thanks to a few real Harry Potters, we don’t have to guess the answer to that question. We got to know five of these muggles – or at least wizards well-abiding The Official Magical Secrets Act – to discover exactly how the name has shaped their lives, for better and worse. So, pour yourself a pumpkin juice and grab a chair by the common room fire. It’s time to meet the Harrys… Sir Harry Potter, lawyer If you have ever heard of a Harry Potter without a lightning-shape scar, it’s probably this one. The defence criminal lawyer, legal historian and ordained priest has unleashed his booming Scottish voice across TV and radio, featuring on The One Show and presenting BBC Four’s The Strange Case of the Law – much to the enjoyment of viewers… View oEmbed on the source website And his name doesn’t just raise eyebrows on X, but also conjures an unusually upbeat tone during criminal trials. "It gets a lot of amusement, especially in the Crown Court,” admits Potter. "Once I was representing a man called Martin Luther King and in the next court there was a Gandhi on trial. People were falling on the floor laughing as the tannoy was calling for the three of us.” Now, you might think a lawyer who is subject to sniggering might not be a very good one in the eyes of the jury. And it’s also reasonable to assume a lawyer who can’t examine witnesses such as the Sheriff of Nottingham or somebody called Michael Caine – as Potter has also done – without inducing chortles throughout the courthouse would be a disaster to a client. Quite the opposite. “Juries love it. They smile at me when they don’t with other barristers. And if you put the jury in a good mood, they’re easier to impress,” says Potter. “Prosecutors often make a mistake when they introduce me as Harry Potter as it gives me an instant advantage. And they know it probably gives me a bit of an edge, but it amuses them too.” However, occasionally his name can accidentally interfere with proceedings. “I once had a client who the judge ordered a psychiatric report for,” remembers Potter. “It came back as this huge 17-page thing that concluded he was delusional because he thought his barrister was Harry Potter. The judge turned to me and said ‘I think we’ll be getting another report, Mr Potter!’” It’s incidents like this that saw Potter writing to JK Rowling herself, outlining that he was a lawyer working in chambers (“’I’m the real Harry Potter and I know the chamber of secrets!’ I said”) and querying whether he was actually the source of the boy wizard’s moniker – “Because I’m Scottish I asked if she heard my name when she was living in Edinburgh,” Potter explains. And amazingly, Rowling replied. And while she broke the bad news that the fictional Potter wasn’t inspired by the lawyer one, Rowling did reveal its source: Harry was simply her favourite name and the Potters were her next-door neighbours. Not the answer Potter was looking for, perhaps, but Rowling’s words provided something much more valuable: “I keep that letter safe – it’s probably my pension fund!” he chuckles. Harry Potter, former student at Sheffield University Like the Harry above, this Potter was born before The Philosopher’s Stone was published – but only by five months. This meant that although not named after the Boy who Lived (“my parents like to make that very clear,” he says), JK Rowling’s Wizarding World has constantly been a part of his own. “It’s always been there, from when I was a kid,” explains Potter. “I was never ‘Harry’ or never just ‘Potter’ – I was always called the full ‘Harry Potter’ at school.” Not that this was a bad thing. As Potter recalls, this recognition slowly treated him to some, as he says, “pretty cool stuff”. For instance, remember when bookstores invited in streams of wizarding fans for the midnight launch of the latest Hogwarts novel? Well, on 21 July 2007, Potter opened up his Exeter branch of WH Smith to mark the release of The Deathly Hallows. “They even got me dressed up in a wizard’s outfit,” remembers Potter. “But I got a book out of it so I wasn’t complaining!” But as he got older things got more, as Potter puts it, “intense”. “Family holidays were always interesting,” he says. “I don’t know what it is about American immigration, but they really like to make a scene. They have really stern faces for everyone else and then I step up and they’ll shout out ‘oh damn! Harry Potter?!’ and get up to show the other officers my passport.” That’s not even the weirdest incident Potter has experienced in an airport. “In 2013 I was on a trip with my school. There were about 30 or 40 of us there when somebody spotted Gary Oldman [who plays Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies]. And then, of course, somebody in my class decided to shout out about my name. “[Oldman] thought it was a joke, but played along. ‘Oh really?’ he said grinning. Then he pulled me forward from the crowd – I was hiding at the back because I knew this would happen. He read my passport, paused and went ‘oh s**t!’ I was really chuffed.” Harry Potter, marketing & customer services worker Dive into a Pensieve brimming with this Harry’s earliest memories and you’ll notice a recurring presence: Pottermania. Aged four and barely able to read JK Rowling’s first book when it hit stores, Harry was swamped with interest over his name. “I remember The Sun newspaper and BBC round my house,” he remembers. “It was a lot to ask of a kid, but I did enjoy it.” His name soon led to bigger perks, particularly when Potter was invited to the London premiere of The Chamber of Secrets in 2002. “I went with my mum,” he remembers. “All these stars were walking down the carpet and then there was us – all the photographers were left asking ‘who are they?’” And after confounding the national press, Potter was even allowed to view the film with the stars, watching it while sitting next to Vinnie Jones. However, for a 24-year-old working in the marketing department of a shelving company, the spell has since worn off slightly. Potter still gets emails from clients thanking him for “working his magic”, but his name has become somewhat of a bludger. “I play golf. I really love it so I wanted to enter a competition. So I called up to register and on hearing my name they said it wasn’t April Fool’s Day and slammed the phone down. Sometimes the name really doesn’t work in my favour,” he laughs. Harry Potter, salesman If the wizarding Harry Potter ever packs in the auror work and tries his hand at a muggle business, we’ve got one tip: print off more business cards. “I can get through 80 to 100 at an event,” this Potter, a business development manager, explains. “Often I have people coming up to my stall saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m just here to get a business card with Harry Potter’s name on it’. I don’t mind it, though ­– it’s a great ice-breaker. And it’s good to be remembered if you’re selling the right stuff!” And he hasn’t only found the name useful for shifting a sale. For instance, on accidentally arriving to the British Library’s Harry Potter History of Magic exhibition an hour late, Potter was able to gain entry with a flick of his ID. “As soon as my friend told them my name and they checked it we were sent straight in. They even said to not worry about closing time – ‘you stay as long as you want!’” But perhaps most valuable of all, Potter has been gifted an easy fancy dress idea. “I’ve dressed as a wizard about five times now,” he says. “I think people always think I’d never be up for it, but it’s part of Halloween!” Harry Potter, fitness & nutrition coach Wizarding gyms probably aren’t a concept you've given much consideration (well, not since the whole ‘Neville Longbottomed’ meme), but here’s a man who may change that. This Harry Potter is a workout fanatic keen on sharing his exercise and nutritional knowledge through his Instagram and YouTube streams. However, instead of encouraging followers to build a Victor Krum physique, Potter markets himself as a specialist in superhero muscle. In fact, he goes by ‘Harry Ashton Potter’ online to stand out from Hogwarts’ finest. “Also I think just using "Harry Potter" would cause some people to think that I was using a fake name,” he explains. And what about in his everyday life? Although he admits the novelty of the name “has worn off”, the same can’t be said of those close to him. “Sometimes my friends will say ‘ask him what his surname is’ [when meeting new people]. Then I usually pretend to not have a clue what they're on about so they end up looking stupid.” So, from the story of Harry Potter and the psychiatric report to Harry Potter and the golf club quarrel, each of the above have faced their own unique experience of carrying the boy wizard’s name. But what do these people – hereby Sir Harry, Student Potter, Salesman Potter, Marketing Potter and Fitness Potter – all have in common? Firstly: the majority prefer JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – only two of the above actually have a firm grasp of the Potter story. And even those who are fans of the books and films have to admire them privately. “I’m a big fan of both, but I have to pretend that I’m impartial to it,” says Student Potter. “Years ago, I got a pair of Gryffindor winter gloves and got absolutely roasted for wearing them. Never again!” View Green Video on the source website Secondly, they hate making restaurant reservations. Or paying bills over the phone. Or, well, anything that requires stating their full name. “There’s normally a titter in the background or they’ll say ‘come on, give us your real one’,” says Sir Harry. “I haven’t yet been stopped by the police while driving, but I suspect they would nick me for giving a false identity. They’d probably get out the breathalyser too.” It’s not an inconvenience reserved for the offline world, either. Each of the Potters has been met by the same disbelief on social media. “I signed up to Facebook when I was 13, but every time a new Potter film came out Facebook banned me thinking that my account wasn’t real,” recalls Student Potter. “Each time I had to send off a scan of my passport and about two weeks later I’d be able to go on Facebook again. It was unbelievably frustrating!” And he was a Potter lucky enough to be granted an account in the first place. Sites like Facebook and X have denied others, assuming they’re setting up a page with a false name. And ironically, that’s just what they had to do to get accepted. Harry Potters across the globe have been forced to invent a new moniker, either simply utilising the Scandinavian alphabet (here’s a shout out to the Harry Pøtters out there), promoting their middle names or even assuming a pseudonym. And it’s not just a problem with social media. Ironically, if you're born Harry Potter you become virtually anonymous online. Search for yourself and any mentions – good or bad – will be buried beneath volumes of wizarding memes, Reddit threads and ‘Draco Malfoy is definitely a werewolf’ fan theories. On the plus side, this digital invisibility cloak means your personal details and shared pictures will be Google-proof – identity fraud won’t be a concern. And, if like Sir Harry, you wrote a book before JK Rowling then you might see a boost in sales due to a mass of confused fans (“I imagine children getting books about capital punishment are quite surprised!” he says with a chuckle). However, being a young Harry Potter also means it’s near impossible to make a name for yourself on the web – even if you try to put a twist on it: “I’m thinking about going into consultancy and using my initials to get further up the Google rankings, but HP is one of the biggest businesses out there,” says Student Potter with a grin. “I don’t know if I’d make any money!” And no, these Harry Potters can’t use their connection to Hogwarts to bolster business either. If they’re not licensed by Warner Bros and try to set up a company that waters down the Harry Potter brand – for example, by setting up a Harry Potter dry cleaners with winks to JK Rowling’s world inside – then they might be heading towards a lawsuit. In fact, a “Harry Potter Dry Cleaners” is one of the most commonly cited examples of trademark dilution in the US. So, these Harry Potters won’t be raking in the galleons with a self-named business any time soon. But they do have a huge advantage getting employed at somebody else’s company. “The name definitely makes me stand out in interviews,” admits Salesman Potter. “It changes the dynamics of the whole thing as well. [The interviewer] might get a good measure of me if they make Harry Potter jokes and I receive them well. Part of being a functional person in society is being able to make fun out of yourself, I guess.” And even better than securing you a job, going by the name of Harry Potter might win you an election. At least, that’s what happened to Sir Harry. From 2002 he served a term on Greenwich council in London, coming top in his local polls by only two votes. “That was the name,” he says. “In a local election, a few votes are all it needs. And when I was around canvassing I found there were quite a few children that followed me because they heard I was Harry Potter. Recognition helps.” Our Student Potter also achieved election victory last year, in an uncontested – yet still problematic – contest. “I was running unchallenged to my international students committee, but I wasn’t the only name on the ballot paper. There was me and the acronym for ‘re-open nominations’, just ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘RON’. I was thinking ‘oh god, why me!?’” he laughs. “But usually the name helps. I’m thinking of going into politics and fingers crossed it makes a difference.” Yet even the Potters we spoke to who had no ambitions of power have been scrutinised like a politician. “Because of the name people are going to remember if you do anything wrong,” explains Salesman Potter. “If you make somebody feel bad or do something embarrassing you’re not going to get away with it. You have to make a conscious effort to be on your best behaviour all the time. It makes things a bit less natural than what it should be. “The name takes away a bit of privacy. When I was three days into university people had heard about me before we met… I think a lot of the conversations I have with new people aren’t made in confidence. You know that they’re going to tell somebody they’ve spoken to you. And depending on how the conversation went, they might share details as well. I know if somebody hears my name they’re probably going to tell five people about it.” Student Potter can relate: “I remember a few weeks into my first year when people were posting about me on [anonymous sharing app] Yik Yak. People were like ‘oh my God, there’s a guy called Harry Potter in my politics seminar!’ or ‘There’s a bloke in my flat block called Harry Potter!’ These posts were getting 60 or 70 upvotes every day. I was thinking ‘who are these people!? Who’s doing this? “I remember too walking to a seminar on a busy street and a guy stopping in front of me, taking out his headphones and shouting ‘YOU’RE A WIZARD, HARRY!’. It was quite intense.” It’s not just at university. These Harry Potters have gone through similar encounters during each new phase of their life. Whether starting a new job or school, they have to go through a recognition process that the actual wizarding Harry could relate to. “In school assembly in my first week they decided to call out my name. Everyone started whispering – it was just like that scene from The Philosopher's Stone,” recalls Salesman Potter. Those who grew up at the height of Pottermania have been particularly influenced by their name. And it’s easy to think why: imagine if you were called Harry Potter and 75 per cent of people you ever met wanted to discuss your name (an estimation given by one Potter). Not only would that be all you’ve known, but it’s also the first impression you leave on everyone else. As Student Potter says: “I do find it bizarre how much it shapes my identity when I first meet people. It can really define me.” View Green Video on the source website But here’s the thing: if the name did somewhat transfigure their characters, it didn’t craft them into a set of anxious individuals or deeply-frustrated men waiting for the next ‘10 points to Gryffindor!’ jibe. Far from it: rather than shying away from the topic, each of the Potters we spoke to were extremely open about their connection to JK Rowling's character. They were easy-going, jolly, honest, confident and brilliantly self-deprecating too. Each one, to put it simply, was just incredibly nice. True, we took a somewhat biased sample of Harry Potters – not only are these the ones who agreed to speak to us, but they’re all Potters who haven’t decided to change their name (the few of these hard-to-find former Potters we contacted declined an interview). But the majority of Potters we spoke to were up for a chat. And despite going through years of – what most would consider – anxiety-provoking situations, they still were incredibly upbeat about their experiences. In fact, none said they felt the need to file a deed poll. Pop a name tag on each of the above, stand them in front of the Mirror of Erised and each would still see ‘Harry Potter’ written on the reflected sticker. Why? One possible reason: they’re never short of conversation. Granted, it’s the same are-you-really-called-Harry-Potter talk that’s a novelty for strangers, but it’s a topic they’re well-trained in. “It’s always nice to start off with a joke – assuring them you’re not actually a wizard,” explains Student Potter. “I think it makes me friendlier, more willing to have a laugh and get to know somebody better. It’s better than awkward small talk.” It’s also a name that people can’t help but warm towards. Tell somebody you’re called Harry Potter and they’ll instantly think of a beloved childhood character. Barriers are broken down as people plug into JK Rowling’s fantasy world, home of happy memories and adolescent wonder. And, as Sir Harry Potter delicately puts it, “If you were called Hitler or Stalin it would probably put off some, but the name attracts people. “It gives pleasure to others. And if you can make people smile at relatively no cost to yourself then it’s a good thing. You have a warm glow.” So yes, the Harry Potters we spoke to weren’t without their quibbles and were quick to tell of the woes of constant recognition. But each of their stories finished with a laugh instead of a sigh, a light shining through any possible darkness – much like the real Potter’s Patronus repelling away any dementor. With all things considered? All was well. 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 Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received. Check out more of our Film 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 showrunner reveals one change from the books he considers a big mistake
Eagle-eyed fans think he's missed something key out of the show.
Despite A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms being the most faithful Game of Thrones adaptation so far, showrunner Ira Parker has admitted there's one change he made from the novella that he now feels is a mistake. Viewers have been dissecting the latest episodes of the HBO fantasy, which are based on George RR Martin's novella The Hedge Knight – and some eagle-eyed fans noticed an omission in the dialogue. In the novella, when Dunk (played in the series by Peter Claffey) is on his way to the joust, several smallfolk greet him as he goes. He then asks Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour): "Why? Who am I to them?" Steely Pate responds: "A knight who remembered his vows.” During a recent Reddit AMA [Ask Me Anything], a fan described this as the "heart and soul" of the novella and asked Parker why it was left out. He responded: "Honestly it was a mistake on my part. Not my first not my last on this show. That scene was in the script at one point, then fell out. I agree that "a knight who remembers his vows" is the soul of this story, but I think that is still very much at the core of the show, even if I stupidly left out this scene... it may not be said explicitly, but Dunk's actions remain the same." In the same AMA, Parker also admitted another mistake – leaving Aerion and Maekar's personal coats of arms out of the series. When another fan pointed this out, Parker responded: "So far I've seen fans point out two mistakes in this show that I was unaware of. This is one of them. Definitely should have had Maekar's... that would have made it soooo easy to distinguish him in the fog. Whoops." Parker has been open about his efforts to keep the show as faithful as possible, even going so far as to tell Radio Times that season 1 of the show was written for Martin. He explained: “In this job you don’t try to write for a wide audience, because so many people like so many different things. “You pick a person, and you write for them. Season one was definitely written for George. The Hedge Knight is very close to him. He’s told me before that book is, he thinks, the best thing that he’s ever written. “He read every first draft of all the episodes. I think they went to him first, even before they went to HBO. And me and him would have conversations. It was rarely contentious. I’ll not say ‘never’…” 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.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule: When is episode 5 out?
New friends and foes await on this Westeros adventure...
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 is striding into its final act, with a whole new status quo after Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) revealed his true identity as Targaryen prince Aegon. In the words of showrunner Ira Parker, it leaves hedge knight Duncan (Peter Claffey) in a difficult position, as the "stable boy" that he'd been giving "a lot of s**t" suddenly becomes a figure of authority. "We've flipped the dynamic pretty significantly," the writer told GQ. "Obviously, [Dunk] has been betrayed in a number of ways, but also has to sort of grovel at the feet of this prince and be careful what he's doing here." Egg's deception could well have called an end to Dunk's mentorship, but recollections of his own turbulent youth are a major factor in his decision to find a path forward. "He knows that Ser Arlan took him on as a very much an unfinished product and saved his life," explained Parker. "Dunk would've been hung as some thief in Fleabottom before his 18th birthday if it hadn't been for Ser Arlan. "I think he has, when it comes to Egg, a lot of forgiveness in his heart. He feels as though Egg was sent to him so that he could do for this kid what Ser Arlan did for him and pay it forward." With all cards now on the table, there are just two chapters left in this quaint and charming Game of Thrones spin-off – here's when you can expect A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5, and an overview of the show's full release schedule. When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 on Sky and NOW? A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW on Monday 16th February 2026, debuting simultaneously with the US at 3am, followed by a repeat at 9pm that night. The regular schedule has resumed following an early launch on Friday of last week, to avoid a clash with the Super Bowl. How many episodes are in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 will consist of six episodes in total; a notably shorter run than most other seasons of preceding shows Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Fortunately, HBO clearly has confidence in the project as the broadcaster has already renewed it for season 2. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule Here's an overview of the UK release schedule for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Mark your calendars if you want to keep up with the hotly anticipated series! A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 1 – The Hedge Knight – Monday 19th January 2026 (out now) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2 – Hard Salt Beef – Monday 26th January 2026 (out now) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 3 – The Squire – Monday 2nd February 2026 (out now) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 – Seven – Friday 6th February 2026 (out now) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 – In the Name of the Mother – Monday 16th February 2026 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 6 – TBA – Monday 23rd February 2026 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.
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.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star reveals unexpected connection to original Game of Thrones series
He also opens up about his "tortured" Targaryen character.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4. As Daeron Targaryen comes to the forefront in this week's episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, actor Henry Ashton has revealed his connections to Westeros run a lot deeper than you might expect. The actor plays Daeron the Drunken, Egg's older brother, and one of the Targaryen princes responsible for Dunk's upcoming Trial of Seven. He also reveals to Dunk in episode 4 that he dreamed of him with a dead dragon – a moment that will hold a lot of importance in the episodes to come. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, actor Ashton revealed Daeron is not the first Thrones role he auditioned for, explaining: " I actually auditioned for the original Game of Thrones when I was either 17 or 18 in school – they came round all the schools to audition people. " It was for Jon Snow. I think they went to every school and auditioned every teenager!" In episode 4, Daeron reveals to Dunk that his dreams always have a way of coming true, which sheds a very disconcerting light on his dream about Dunk and a dead dragon ahead of the hedge knight's trial by combat. View Green Video on the source website Speaking about the importance of that particular premonition, Ashton explained: "Daeron doesn't quite know what his dreams mean, even he's confused by them. So when he has this premonition of a dead dragon, he makes assumptions of who that would be and what that means... He doesn't quite know what it means, but he knows it's not good for him or his family." Ashton pointed out: "He's one of those wonderfully flawed characters, which I just enjoy playing so much, because there's just so much behind what's there on the page. He sort of hides behind this dark, irreverent humour. But behind that is just a truly tortured soul." "It's a shame that such a great power – these dreams and premonitions that he has - are [given] to a man that is unfortunately unable to handle it," he continued. "I think he's he's a really important character because he bridges the gap from the Targaryens to Dunk and Egg a little bit, and he sort of shows what it's like to grow up in such a brutal family." <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/0205AKOTSKS01-1-6084b21.jpg" width="3840" height="2560" 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" /> Meanwhile, Daeron sparked plenty of conversation on set, with even the show's creatives – showrunner Ira Parker and director Owen Harris – disagreeing on the character's intentions. " Ira and Owen had both quite differing opinions on where Daeron was coming from, in terms of, is he a good man who's pretending not to be, or is he not a good guy but pretending to be?" Ashton revealed. "They both had a very different opinions on it, whether Daeron was a good person or not. I enjoyed leaning into the fact that Daeron was a good person but he's so consumed with his own problems and pain that he behaves awfully. "One of the audition notes I'll share for when they sent the character breakdown through was Withnail and I – very charismatic and upper class, but also just completely disheveled and just an absolute mess. [He's] weirdly charming and funny – I found that note really fun to play with." 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.
Baldur's Gate TV series in the works from The Last of Us showrunner – with one major twist
The video game Baldur’s Gate 3, a beloved 2023 role-playing experience set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, is officially being adapted for TV. But there is a major twist to this tale! The basics of this news, as broken by Deadline, are fairly simple: Craig Mazin, who is currently making the third and final season of HBO’s The Last of Us, has landed the job of bringing BG3 to TV as his next gig at the same network. “After putting nearly 1,000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created,” Mazin is quoted as saying. He added: “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that [game director] Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it.” So far, this news is playing out exactly as you’d expect - an established TV showrunner, fresh off the back of one huge gaming adaptation, is lining up another game he loves for similar treatment. However, things get slightly more surprising when you dig into the details of what this TV series really is – instead of being a straight adaptation of Baldur’s Gate 3, the TV show is actually set after the events of the game. As Deadline explains it, “the Baldur’s Gate TV series will be a continuation to the games, telling a story that takes place immediately after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3, as the characters – old and new – are dealing with the ramifications of the events in the third game”. The mention of “old” characters is sure to get the fandom excited, given that BG3 cast members like Neil Newbon (Astarion), Devora Wilde (Lae’zel), Jennifer English (Shadowheart) and Samantha Béart (Karlach) have become beloved figures in the community in the years since the game launched. View Green Video on the source website Exactly how will this mix of “old and new” characters work? As Deadline puts it, the TV show “is expected to keep the D&D tradition of taking new characters who are not that powerful and follow their journey through adventures that make them powerful”. And will the voice cast from the games actually appear in the show themselves? It sounds like a distinct possibility! Deadline notes that Mazin “plans to reach out to voice cast members of Baldur’s Gate 3 with ideas for them to participate in the TV adaptation, if possible”. We could, for example, feasibly hope to see a live-action Astarion played by Newbon himself. Our fingers, as well as all the fans’, remain crossed on that front! As we hear more about the Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show, which we’d assume to be several years away from our screens, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, you can check out our video interviews with the game cast below! View oEmbed on the source website Find full episodes of Arcade Hang on YouTube: Devora Wilde talks Baldur's Gate 3, 4 and prequel hopes Neil Newbon talks reprising Astarion, and his D&D podcast Karlach actor Samantha Béart talks Baldur's Gate 3 and more Check out more of our Gaming 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.
His Dark Materials writer reveals whether he could return to adapt Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust
Jack Thorne was speaking with us for The Radio Times Writers' Room.
Writer Jack Thorne has taken on a number of high-profile adaptations over the years, with one of the most prominent being the BBC's three-season take on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Of course, Pullman's story doesn't end there – there's also the additional trilogy he wrote after completing those books, The Book of Dust, which expand upon the lore and the world he had already established. However, in spite of the material being ripe for adaptation – and the popularity of Thorne's previous work in Pullman's universe – the writer has now confirmed he has no plans to adapt The Book of Dust. Speaking with us exclusively for our video interview series The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which we get to know what makes screenwriters tick, Thorne was asked whether he could return to adapt The Book of Dust, to which he said: "No, I think that's for another writer now". "I think that I've done all I can in that world, and I think that it needs a different energy than the energy I've got," he said. View Green Video on the source website When asked whether he was daunted taking on the His Dark Materials adaptation, he said: "I’d just done [Harry] Potter [and the Cursed Child]. So yes, it was. It was daunting for two reasons. One, I thought, 'I'm not sure it's a good idea to do this straight after doing Harry Potter on stage', but I love those books so much. "And it wasn't like I campaigned. I had a conversation with Julie [Gardner], who works at Bad Wolf, and Julie was like, 'I think you should talk to Jane [Tranter, executive producer]'. And it was literally that conversation of, 'I love these books, and these are the reasons why I love these books'. And then she said, 'We should do it together'. "And it was one of those sorts of dreamy things that you don't really think about too much at the time - and Potter was exactly the same for me and [director] John Tiffany - where it was like, 'Oh, OK'. And then suddenly you're doing it, and you haven't had time to sort of have that question, 'Am I daunted by this?', because you're doing it with people you trust." Thorne's latest adaptation, a four-part TV version of Lord of the Flies, is set to air from Sunday 8th February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. View oEmbed on the source website He discussed the series in his chat for The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which he also delved into his work on the three This Is England miniseries, Adolescence, the upcoming Beatles movies and more. Jack Thorne's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room is available to watch in full now on RadioTimes.com and on YouTube. His Dark Materials is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. Lord of the Flies will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday 8th February 2026. Add His Dark Materials to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" class="x_OWAAutoLink" 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 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.
Next huge fantasy TV series adaptation based on beloved book series gets major update
Redemption for the 2006 film is inbound...
Eragon fans, rejoice! The upcoming live-action series based on the beloved fantasy novel has just had a major update. Christopher Paolini's story about a farm boy who stumbles across a dragon egg has secured its showrunners - Todd Harthan and Todd Helbing. Harthan has previously worked on series including High Potential, Crossover, and The Company You Keep, meanwhile Helbing previously served as an executive producer on Superman & Lois and The Flash. Harthan is also set as a co-creator on the show alongside author Paolini. Marc Webb will serve as an executive producer, alongside Rachel Moore. It was first announced that an Eragon series was in development in 2022. In 2006, the novel was adapted into a feature film, which massively divided fans. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com in 2023, Paolini opened up about how the series will be different from the film. "Some of my fans are going to hate for me to say this, but the original film is not really a bad film. But where it fails is it's not a great adaptation, and that's ultimately the problem," he told us. View Green Video on the source website "In a new adaptation I want - I mean, this is pie in the sky dreaming, of course - but I would want to capture the feel of the characters, the emotion of the story and the grandeur of the locations, something that I think the original film really fell down on, as it stripped out a lot of the elements that actually made Eragon unique, which is problematic given that since this is an archetypal hero's story, there are a lot of familiar elements." Paolini added: "You need to embrace the things that do make it special. One very small example, I say small but it's actually large, is with locations. Eragon and his companions end up travelling to a place where [there are] these absolutely gigantic, staggeringly large mountains, which are about 10 miles high. "And there's magical reasons for that in the world. I know that can't happen in the real world but visually, it's a stunning thing to be able to show and to have your characters in this amazing location. "They just completely eliminated that from the movie, as well as the fact if you watch the film, you would never guess that there were supposed to be elves and dwarves in the world, the characters who are elves and dwarves are just kind of there, but have no distinguishing characteristics that would allow you to identify them as such. So, for all of those things, I think embracing what the book is and what the world is and really going hard for that." No doubt fans will be keeping a close eye on the series as more developments emerge. Eragon (2006) is currently available to stream on Disney Plus. 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 episode 4 set for early release in the UK following US schedule shake-up
Viewers will be heading back to Westeros sooner than expected…
HBO has confirmed that this week’s episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be dropping earlier than expected to avoid clashing with Super Bowl Sunday. The fourth episode of the show will still air on HBO on Sunday 8th February in its usual 10pm time slot, but will be released on the streaming site at 12:01am PT on Friday 6th February. This will come as good news to fans of the series who can't wait for future instalments following episode 3’s game-changing reveal, which finally solved one of the show's biggest mysteries. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the third series in the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise and is based on the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. Set 100 years before Game of Thrones, and 72 years after House of the Dragon, the six-part series follows Dunk and his resourceful squire “Egg” as they head on a big adventure through the Seven Kingdoms. The 60th Super Bowl will see the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks fight for the Lombardi Trophy at Levi's Stadium on Sunday. It will air on NBC and Peacock. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is already in production, with the instalment expected to premiere before the end of next year. And it looks like there could be further seasons on the horizon, despite the fact that George RR Martin has only published three Dunk and Egg novellas so far. Showrunner Ira Parker recently revealed that there are 12 outlines from the author to form the basis of future seasons. He told Radio Times magazine: "George has laid out… He has a document of everything that happens, basically, for 13, 14, 15 of these novellas. He just has to get to writing these." He continued: "The nice thing is, we know what the ending is. We know the journeys that they go no. We would never be left making anything up. We would just have a looser road map than what we have right now. 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.
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.
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.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 release schedule: When are new episodes out?
After a long wait, Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 has finally arrived, bringing the latest edition of one of the biggest anime series in the world back to our screens once more. The dark, supernatural action anime based on the equally popular manga series by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori as he learns to wield jujutsu sorcery. After eating a cursed finger to save his classmate, Yuji gains supernatural powers and is enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu High School to develop his skills and fight cursed spirits. Season 2 saw the culmination of the Shibuya Incident, an attack orchestrated by the ancient curse user Kenjaku, with the most powerful jujutsu sorcerer Satoru Gojo left sealed in the Prison Realm. If you've been patiently waiting for the story to continue, here's what you need to know about Jujutsu Kaisen season 3's release schedule. What is the Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 release schedule? New episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 began airing on Thursday 8 January 2026, with the premiere launching on streaming service Crunchyroll. The first two episodes were released together as a double bill. The show’s official X account has since confirmed that season 3 will be split into multiple parts, with Culling Game Arc Part 1 consisting of 12 episodes in total, running from 8 January to 26 March 2026. If the third season follows a similar release strategy to season 2, the rumoured 24-episode run could be split into two cours, with a standard three-month broadcast break between arcs. While this schedule remains subject to change, we'd expect the release schedule to look like this: Culling Game Arc Part 1: Episode 1 - Execution – 8 January 2026 Episode 2 - One More Time – 8 January 2026 Episode 3 - About the Culling Game - 15 January 2026 Episode 4 – Perfect Preparation - 22 January 2026 Episode 5 – 29 January 2026 Episode 6 – 5 February 2026 Episode 7 – 12 February 2026 Episode 8 – 19 February 2026 Episode 9 – 26 February 2026 Episode 10 – 5 March 2026 Episode 11 – 12 March 2026 Episode 12 – 19 March 2026 Culling Game Arc Part 2 (Predicted - subject to change): Episode 13 — 25 June 2026 Episode 14 — 2 July 2026 Episode 15 — 9 July 2026 Episode 16 — 16 July 2026 Episode 17 — 23 July 2026 Episode 18 — 30 July 2026 Episode 19 — 6 August 2026 Episode 20 — 13 August 2026 Episode 21 — 20 August 2026 Episode 22 — 27 August 2026 Episode 23 — 3 September 2026 Episode 24 — 10 September 2026 Eager fans could also watch the first two episodes early as part of the film release for compilation Jujutsu Kaisen Executioner, which was released in UK cinemas on 14 November 2025. What time are the new Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 episodes released? New episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 arrive on Crunchyroll at 9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm GMT. For UK-based viewers, this means episodes will be available to stream on Thursday afternoons from 5pm. However, the show has confirmed that episodes 6, 7 and the special episode will have a changed broadcast time in Japan, delaying the usual midnight slot for episodes 6 and 7 to 12:36am JST, while the recap episode will air at 2:00am JST. While Japanese broadcast times will shift for these three episodes, this is not expected to significantly impact UK streaming release times on Crunchyroll, though minor delays could be possible. How many episodes will there be in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3? Crunchyroll has yet to confirm the total episode count of the third season, although the rumoured episode count is the 24 episodes, following the 23-episode second season. The show’s official X account has since confirmed that the third season will be split into multiple parts, with Culling Game Arc Part 1 running for 12 episodes in a single cour. Details have also emerged about a special episode following episode 7, which will recap season 3 events while incorporating “newly recorded narration for a restructured program.” The streaming service and official account has yet to confirm the final episode count, but we’ll update this as soon as it does. Where can I watch Jujutsu Kaisen season 3? Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 will be available to watch in the UK on specialist anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Fans can also catch up on the first season and the prequel film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 on Netflix UK. View oEmbed on the source website What’s the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen? This dark fantasy series takes place in a world in which magic exists and action-packed battles take place between secret sorcerers and supernatural cursed spirits. Young protagonist Yuji Itadori becomes the vessel for the powerful demon Sukuna after eating a cursed finger, and enrols at the Jujutsu High School to train in the ways of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. In the first season, he faces his first major battles against powerful curses, including Cursed Wombs, under tutelage from mentor Satoru Gojo, and alongside Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki. The sophomore season ended with the culmination of the Death Painting Arc. The second season culminated in the devastating pivotal Shibuya Incident arc, with Yuji Itadori crippled by despair after believing he killed multiple people in the devastating night of chaos and battles in the Tokyo district. The third season is set to adapt the deadly Culling Game arc, so fans can expect a brutal battle royale-style series, orchestrated by the ancient sorcerer Kenjaku, the parasitic cursed spirit. Watch a clip below from 2025's Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution: View Green Video on the source website Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 will be available to watch on Crunchyroll from 8th January 2026. 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.
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.
God of War TV series adaptation casts its Odin and Thor - including a Homeland legend
The God of Thunder and the All-Father take the stage.
After the recent announcement that Ryan Hurst was cast as Kratos in the Prime Video God of War TV adaptation, we’re now getting more details on who else we can expect to join the project to fill the large mythical Viking boots of Odin and Thor. Fittingly, considering Icelands close relation to Norse mythology, Severance actor and Icelander Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has been cast as Thor, God of Thunder. Ólafsson himself is a fan of the God of War games from Santa Monica Studio, writing on Facebook: "I have had so much fun playing these games and to get to be part of telling the tale by playing the god of thunder is sort of a dream come true. Cannot wait to work with all the talented people behind this series!" As per Prime Video's character description: "The God of Thunder is a mountain of a man who has weathered many a battle in his time but whose actions in a war fought long ago now haunt his waking hours." Prior to the events of the game, Thor was "once the loyal soldier of Asgard and his father’s right-hand man", but during the events of the game and TV adaptation, "Thor is now but a shadow of his former self as he drowns himself in alcohol and tries not to think of the price he paid. Keeping his wife and children at arm’s length has only deepened his isolation, but the power (and danger) of the God of Thunder is still there just beneath the surface." But as for Odin, the 'All-Father', it is American Mandy Patinkin, known for his portrayal of CIA officer Saul Berenson in Homeland, that will wield Gungnir. Prime Video describes Odin as: "not physically imposing or particularly god-like: but looks can be deceiving. He is the most powerful Aesir god, a patriarch who leads with an iron fist, and an unrivalled seeker of knowledge." As Kratos' son Aesir discovers, Odin is "paranoid, manipulative, and dangerous" and "he will do anything to try and prevent Ragnarök, the Norse end of days." Both in the game and in the series, Odin "serves as a formidable antagonist to Kratos." Hurst, Ólafsson and Patinkin join Teresa Palmer and Max Parker as part of the God of War cast, but, with filming yet to get underway, it will be some time yet before we can tune in to see them all in action. 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.
Lucifer at 10: Tom Ellis breaks down beloved show's devoted fanbase, survival skills, and enduring legacy
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes for the show’s 10th anniversary, Tom Ellis opens up about the show’s survival instincts – and the role he almost played instead.
“Heeeeeeellllo…. Tell me, what is it you truly desire?” With a devilish grin and twinkle in his eye, the world was introduced to Lucifer back in January 2016. Missing the horns, fire and brimstone typically associated with the ruler of Hell, this devil came immaculately dressed in a razor-sharp suit, soundtracked to Cage the Elephant’s Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, while speeding through Los Angeles in a slick, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. In less than a minute, Tom Ellis, who plays the titular character, establishes this version of the Devil as fun and mischievous, with viewers in for a good time. 10 years on, Lucifer Morningstar has become the most defining character of Ellis’s career, and he holds it like a badge of honour, with the show’s apt enduring legacy becoming that of the power of a devoted fanbase, having a little faith, and resurrection. “I can't believe it,” he says. “I mean, it feels like it's been around forever, and at the same time, I can't believe it's only 10 years since we started. I remember the whole experience pretty vividly.” The Devil’s In The Details Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Ellis acknowledges Lucifer was an opportunity that almost passed him by. Before being cast, his heart’s desire was somewhere else entirely. “I’d read this Sarah Silverman pilot HBO was doing, and I was dead set: That's what I wanted to do,” he explains. “I remember they'd told me I was a bit young for it, but I was like, ‘just get me in a room with Sarah’. “I flew to New York, met Sarah, went through this whole audition process with her, had a great time… then I got a call later, saying she thinks you're too young for it.” “At the airport I had several scripts to look at for the next potential thing, and I pulled this script out with ‘Lucifer’ on the front,” he adds. “I thought, ‘Jesus, here we go, what's this load of old rubbish I'm about to open?’ “But by about the third page I'd laughed out loud several times, and was like, ‘Oh my God, I think this might be the guy.’” Condemned to rule Hell for all eternity, this version of Lucifer Morningstar – sick of getting the blame for humanity’s bad decisions – decides to take a break on Earth. Becoming the primo Lothario of the LA club scene, he finds new purpose when he becomes a consultant for the LAPD. Ellis shaped the character in his head quickly, picturing Lucifer as “Oscar Wilde and Mick Jagger's love child”. It was his decision to maintain his accent and make him British – something not noted in the original script. “It just sort of screamed off the page to me that that's how it should be,” he says. “I did actually try it American [before the audition], but to be honest with you, as an American, he sounded like a complete d**k. “There was something that was excusable, his behaviour and his attitude, if they were wrapped up in this charming British character. I think that's what the Americans went for. You can get away with a lot if you've got a British accent over here!” He carried this through to the audition with executive producer Len Wiseman, who took a shine to Ellis in the leading role. “He got my number off a friend and basically said, ‘Look, I really want you to do this. I just need to convince the studio and the network you're the guy’.” At the time, Ellis was still building his career in the States. While in the UK he was known for roles including love interest Gary in BBC’s Miranda, the US was proving a little harder to crack. Prior to Lucifer, Ellis had his first major break leading a TV series with Rush – playing a shady LA doctor with a drug habit who serviced the Hollywood elite. It was cancelled in 2015 after one season, something Ellis admits his disappointment in, though he credits it for paving the way to his most notable role. Ellis says getting Lucifer felt like “kismet”. While a successful audition may not exactly scream divine intervention alone, it was the start of a growing pattern of things working in the show’s favour to become what it was. But it wasn’t without a fight. Before Lucifer was even released, the idea of attempting to redeem the devil felt like a tall order – with Christian “decency advocacy group” One Million Moms taking exception to the show before a single episode aired. “They hadn't seen it. But that's the thing, when people haven't seen something and try to speak about it, it says more about those people than it does about the show,” Ellis notes, adding any kind of furore fizzled out quickly upon launch. Save Lucifer Made by Warner Bros for US network Fox, Lucifer ran for three seasons before being cancelled in 2018 – and the team thought that would be it. By Ellis’s own admission, in the States the series ratings were “doing OK, but didn’t blow it out the gates”. Overseas though, was a different story. “Warner Brothers arranged a bit of a press tour in Europe, because after season 1 had come out, it dropped on Amazon and Netflix in a few places in Europe,” he says. “People were just losing their s**t about Lucifer, and I was thinking to myself, ‘this show feels way more popular than what I think it is’. I've been acting for a long time now, and that's the first time it started to feel like something was really popular and in multiple places. “After season 3 when Fox cancelled the show, I thought to myself, ‘This is so strange, it feels really popular, I don't know why they're cancelling it, and I think there's going to be some people that aren't very happy about this’. “That was the understatement of the year. That feeling I had was completely vindicated by the response.” Gigantic fan outcry and a #SaveLucifer campaign picked up so much steam online it couldn’t be ignored, and after just two weeks of fighting from devoted “Lucifans”, Netflix brought the show back to life. “It was really surreal, because I'd been told categorically by the head of Warner Bros that if Fox didn't pick up the show that would be it,” Ellis says. “So when it was cancelled, we were all pretty devastated because we really loved doing it, and we felt like people were really enjoying it. “It was kind of indicating and lovely that we'd had this impact on people. That's where it started, and then it just started to snowball. I think probably maybe four or five days after the announcement of the cancellation, I had a call from the head of Warner Bros, who had previously told me that was it for the show, to say ‘we've noticed what's going on, and we're going to try and see if we can find a new home for it’. “There was a bit of new life breathed into me after that. I still felt like it would be nice if it happened, but it's highly unlikely it will, but I felt encouraged by that so I went online and said to people, ‘just keep making noise’.” “It was such a crazy time. It was so affirming and lovely and proactive, and it felt like people power,” he says. “It felt like good things could happen, which isn’t a common occurrence these days! It really cemented my belief in gut feeling and in fandom, I suppose. “And it's really amazing because once it went to Netflix and we had created such a storm, when the new season came out, it was a totally different experience. It boomed. It was bonkers.” Response remained so strong a fifth season was greenlit, and then extended, with a second batch of episodes added to what had already been announced as the final run. When love for the show endured, Netflix made a rare public backtrack, giving Lucifer a sixth – and definitively last – season, which brought the show to a close in 2021. The God Squad Lucifer proved to have an endurance few shows have managed to survive, with the ‘case-of-the-week’ series thriving amid the chaos it had unwittingly unleashed as showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich folded more characters, celestial beings and humans into the world. While we were introduced to Lucifer first and foremost, fans attached themselves to the strong ensemble cast that filled the character’s life on Earth – Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt), Lucifer’s demon bestie who joined him in LA; Amenadiel (DB Woodside), Lucifer’s brother who was urged by God to get him back to his position in Hell; Detective Dan Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro), who found himself wary of this outlandish consultant; and Dr Linda Martin (Rachael Harris), a therapist with the devil himself as a client. But the most important was undoubtedly Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), a woman who would prove to be the love of Lucifer’s life. “Deckerstar” shippers soon dominated the conversation, with the will-they/won’t-they pull becoming central to the story. Ellis regards German as “possibly one of the funniest people he’s ever met in his life”, which made navigating the story, and fan dedication, easier. “I think when they [the fans] let it be known that this was a big thing for them, it really cemented for Joe and Ildy that that is the focal point,” he says. “I don't think it was ever thought to be the intention when it was first conceived that's where it would go to. But in terms of handling it, Lauren and I, we just had fun working together – and the rest of the cast really, we all were having a great time doing it. “We bought into it as actors and characters in the show, for sure, and felt like this is the important stuff that we needed to nail.” Resting in Peace By the time the show reached its finale, Ellis – now also a producer – and the team knew they had to stick the landing. Which is easier said than done, given they’d already written three endings of the show, which they’d then had to extend. “It's a fine line between trying to satisfy your fans and actually keep writing the thing that brought them there in the first place,” he says. “We had to reimagine the ending, because we thought season five was going to be the ending, so there were a few 'how do we land this?' moments.” “I felt like there had to be one more sacrifice in there. I wanted it to be bittersweet as well, as opposed to just sweet,” he adds. “So we sat down and talked it through and agreed that, wouldn't it be great if Lucifer gave up his time with Chloe on Earth, and she got to be a single mum with Trixie and do all these things, because she has the knowledge she will be in eternity with him at some point? “There was this kind of safety net underneath it, but it still played out with a bit of heartbreak that they didn't spend their lives together. But, of course, they spend eternity together. So we had that as our out. “I really liked it, it wasn't neat and tidy, but it was still moving, and had all the beats everyone wanted. The way it came together, I was satisfied. To get to where we got to in season six, I think Joe and Ildy did a really amazing job.” With Lucifer and Chloe finally getting their happy ending – albeit in the Underworld – Ellis reflects on the show’s legacy as one that brings people together, whether it be through friends, family or even religion. “Some of the best messages and emails I've received since the show came out are from religious leaders and people of faith that have found something in it that still resonates with their faith,” he says. “I've had people say, ‘Oh, I used this in my sermon the other day’, and ‘I use this in my Bible study class’. It creates conversation, and that's great.” “I think we went out on a high, and I think that's the best way,” he says of letting the show rest. “I think we pretty much covered all bases, without getting to the point where it just gets ridiculous, even though it's a story about the devil running a nightclub in LA! It's doing a disservice to the story we've already told.” All episodes of Lucifer are available now on Netflix. 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.
Acclaimed literary fantasy universe from beloved author set for future adaptations on Apple TV in landmark deal
Apple TV is looking to the Cosmere for its next epic fantasy hit.
With fantasy adaptations proving prime real estate for streaming services and networks – courtesy of HBO’s wildly popular take on George RR Martin’s beloved Game of Thrones novels and prequels – it looks like Apple TV is staking its claim as the next major fantasy franchise home. Not content with adapting Isaac Asimov’s sprawling epic Foundation, Hugh Howey’s Wool trilogy and Martha Well’s The Murderbot Diaries, the streaming service has reportedly turned to beloved fantasy author Brandon Sanderson for its next big instalment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple TV has closed an “unprecedented deal” to secure the rights to Sanderson’s Cosmere – an interconnected fictional literary universe comprising 24 novels, several series, graphic novels, short stories and novellas. The streamer is reportedly looking to first adapt the Mistborn series for film and The Stormlight Archive series for television, with a treasure trove of books across the Cosmere’s various sagas to draw from. The author revealed that this isn’t the first time he has taken the project’s rights to Hollywood, noting in a recent statement that he originally sought a partner for the adaptation back in 2016. He also discussed his reasons for choosing Apple TV, explaining that the streamer wants to be “a true partner” and that he feels “they really get what I want to do” offering the right levels of approvals and control over the adaptations. View oEmbed on the source website He went on to praise the platform’s track record of high quality shows, adding: “Apple does fewer things, but with higher quality, than some other studios.” “I find virtually everything of theirs I watch is excellent and creator driven,” he continued. Sanderson also shared an update on the next five months, revealing that he will be writing the Mistborn screenplay as his full time focus. He reassured fans, however, that he will "focus on doing it carefully and right". “I promise not to get too distracted to do books. However, if I want this done right, I need to give some real attention and heart to it now.” The Stormlight Archive – a planned 10-book series split across two five-book arcs – already has producers attached. Blue Marble, who previously produced Apple TV+ series Pachinko, is set to executive produce the television adaptation. With Amazon MGM Studios adapting JRR Tolkien’s rich fantasy world and HBO continuing its long-running partnership with George RR Martin, Apple TV appears keen to secure its own slice of the fantasy literature pie with this landmark deal. And it’s no surprise that they’ve turned to literary giant and fan favourite Sanderson, who has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. Beyond building an interconnected universe spanning multiple series, the prolific author has long been selling out fantasy conventions – and famously completed the final three books in the beloved The Wheel of Time series following Robert Jordan’s passing. Sanderson reportedly met with several major studio heads amid a competitive bidding situation, with the author ultimately securing a rare deal that grants him significant creative control over screen adaptations. Under the agreement, Sanderson will write, produce and consult on projects, as well as retain approval rights over his fictional universe – marking an unprecedented level of author involvement in modern screen adaptations. As studios increasingly turn to popular literary adaptations, this unprecedented deal could signal a shift in how authors and studios collaborate. With Apple TV’s deal with Sanderson, alongside Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B Jordan’s eagerly awaited adaptation of Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series, fantasy fans certainly have a lot to look forward to on the horizon. 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.
School Spirits stars reveal how they've influenced Maddie and Wally's fate in season 3
School is officially back in session in School Spirits season 3 - and, by this point, stars Peyton List and Milo Manheim know exactly where they want their characters to go. The supernatural drama is set to pick up after the massive cliffhanger that saw Maddie (List) return to her body, while Simon (Kristian Flores) is now the one trapped in the afterlife. Meanwhile, Wally's (Manheim) fate was left up the air. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about what's to come in season 3, List and Manheim revealed their requests and questions for the show's creative team. Manheim told us: "They want to hear about what we think makes sense for our characters. "I feel like Wally, in the past, has always been such a team player and down for anything, but I told them he's always sort of a step behind figuring things out, and this season, I'd love for him to be a step ahead. I'd love for him not only to go along with a plan, but maybe come up with a plan. "I think that they really took that note well, and I think we see that happen this season. It's a very adventurous season for Wally." Asked whether Maddie will be helping Simon this season like he helped her, List explained: "That was my first question for the creators and the directors as well! I just wanted to make sure that Maddie is fighting for Simon as hard as he fought for her. "But she has so many other concerns and worries with this new superintendent at the school and with her relationship with her mother... "[She has] so many things that Simon kind of ends up...she's so worried about him, but there's so many other things happening." As for what this all means for Maddie and Wally's relationship? "Wally's really going on his own individual journey this season," Manheim says. "He's done a lot of helping out for others, and I think it's time he starts thinking about himself and putting his needs first. We're definitely a new side of Wally this season." As List points out, Maddie has more than ever to deal with this season as she navigates darker mysteries, while the veil between the two realms grows even more thin, and more terrifying secrets begin to surface. School Spirits season 3 begins on Paramount Plus on 28th January – you can sign up for Paramount Plus now. Add School Spirits 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.
School Spirits season 3 release schedule: When is episode 4 on Paramount+?
Maddie and her friends are investigating an even deeper, darker mystery this time around.
Hit Paramount+ fantasy teen drama, School Spirits, is back for its third season, which sees Peyton List's Maddie and her friends being plunged into a deeper, darker mystery as the veil between worlds grows dangerously thin. The synopsis for season 3 says: "After clawing her way back to life, Maddie struggles with terrifying visions and the weight of protecting both the living and the dead while Simon – trapped in the afterlife – becomes obsessed with the secrets buried in Split River High’s scars. "Why have so many people died at Split River High? What was Mr Martin warning them about? As they search for answers, new dangers and dark secrets begin to surface." The first three episodes are available to watch now, but when will the rest of the instalments become available, and what is the full release schedule for season 3? Read on for everything you need to know about the release schedule for School Spirits season 3. When will School Spirits season 3 episode 4 be released? School Spirits season 3 began with three episode being released at once on Wednesday 28th January. Since then, it has switched to a weekly release schedule. This means episode 4, titled The Bereftest Club, will be released on Wednesday 4th February on Paramount+. How many episodes will there be in School Spirits season 3? There will be a total of eight episodes in School Spirits season 3. This is also the same number of episodes that were featured in the first and second seasons of the show, which were released in 2023 and 2025 respectively. School Spirits season 3 release schedule The first three episodes of School Spirits season 3 were released on Wednesday 28th January, following which the show has switched to a weekly release schedule on Wednesdays. This means the season will run through until Wednesday 4th March, when the finale will become available on Paramount+. You can find the full release schedule for School Spirits season 3 right here: School Spirits season 3 episode 1 - It's a Wonderful Afterlife - Wednesday 28th January 2025 (out now) School Spirits season 3 episode 2 - Mean Ghouls - Wednesday 28th January 2025 (out now) School Spirits season 3 episode 3 - The Halls Have Eyes - Wednesday 28th January 2025 (out now) School Spirits season 3 episode 4 - The Bereftest Club - Wednesday 4th February 2025 School Spirits season 3 episode 5 - Raiders of the Lost Scar - Wednesday 11th February 2025 School Spirits season 3 episode 6 - Children of the Scorned - Wednesday 18th February 2025 School Spirits season 3 episode 7 - Midsomester - Wednesday 25th February 2025 School Spirits season 3 episode 8 - Dawn of the Deb - Wednesday 4th March 2025 School Spirits is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the UK – you can sign up for Paramount Plus now. Add School Spirits 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.
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.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner reveals why there’s no concern about star Dexter Sol Ansell ageing as Egg
Egg star Dexter Sol Ansell was nine years old when he began acting in the first season of the Game of Thrones spin-off.
Given how long it can take to film a season of TV, let along multiple seasons, there's always one big potential problem with long-running series that star child actors. They grow up. This was certainly the case with Stranger Things, with the show taking 10 years to film and release, despite taking place over four years. The central child characters went from being 12 to 16, while the actors playing them were in their early 20s come the final season. Now, some are concerned that the same situation will affect A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new Game of Thrones prequel/spin-off series, which stars worried as one half of the central duo, Egg. However, showrunner Ira Parker isn't among them. Parker spoke to Variety, and was asked whether he was worried about Ansell, who was nine when he filmed in season 1, ageing out of the role of Egg. He said: "Dexter is going to have whatever career he decides that he wants. He’s so talented. He’s come in season 2 like an old pro. He’s so confident, calm, and he can give you different versions now. He’s really come into himself. I think he’s the best child actor on Earth, there’s no doubt about it." Parker continued: "The planned books that George has take Dunk and Egg through their whole lives. I’ve joked about this with HBO, to which I’ve definitely got some eye rolls, but I would love to do three, four or five seasons with Egg the boy and then come back in five or 10 years and do a few more with Egg the prince. "Then come back in five or 10 years from then and do him at the end of his life — Linklater method. They go off, do whatever they want to do in between, they can have lives, then we come back and get the crew back together and we tell a little bit more of the story because I think it would be really interesting. "The idea of taking two people on a journey through their lives, I haven’t seen a lot of that. But I embrace the oldening of Dexter and Egg. He’ll grow older with the character; he’s supposed to get older. Hopefully, it’s not all based on him having a cute, high voice. "We understand how important that is right now, but hopefully he will develop and the characters will develop, and it will still be a lot of fun." Ansell recently revealed an interaction he had with George RR Martin, the author behind the A Song of Ice and Fire and the Dunk and Egg books. Ansell said that Martin was full of praise for his portrayal, with the author having said: "Wow, you're so good, and you look and you act like you've really just jumped out the books". "And that's amazing to hear from the creator of my character," Ansell said. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues on Sky and NOW on Mondays – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the 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.
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.
Where was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms filmed?
HBO's latest fantasy drama was a homecoming for the Game of Thrones franchise.
There's a new expansion to the on-air world of Game of Thrones with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, telling the story of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). While they're not fighting for ultimate power, they do have a fun adventure and a story of unlikely friendship in this unique entry into the Westerosi universe. Another remarkable thing to note about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is that it's absolutely stunning, with gorgeous settings as a backdrop to the fun. If you're in the mood for an odyssey of your own, here's our guide to the locations of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - and in good news for UK readers, it's pretty accessible for you. Where was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms filmed? HBO's brand new drama A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was primarily filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland; a location that holds a long history with the Game of Thrones franchise. The original series, which began production back in 2010, relied on the impressive Paint Hall Studios in Belfast's Titanic Quarter as a key base for its filming, along with several other locations across Northern Ireland (and further afield). Famously, the success of the fantasy drama led to a spike in tourism to the region, as fans flocked to get a glimpse of the real-life locations that had helped to bring George RR Martin's novels to life. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms represents a homecoming in that sense, returning to the sprawling media campus of the Titanic Quarter and even bringing back "some of the same crew" from the original series (according to BBC Culture). View Green Video on the source website Belfast won't be losing its Game of Thrones connection in the immediate term either, as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is currently filming in and around the Northern Irish capital (as of December 2025). HBO handed the high-profile drama a renewal well in advance of its premiere as a show of confidence in the franchise's latest iteration. That bold move could well pay off, if the broadly positive early reviews are any indication. Game of Thrones' return to Northern Ireland with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms renders fellow prequel series House of the Dragon something of an outlier in the franchise. It stands apart as the only Game of Thrones project to be primarily filmed in England, with even the untitled Naomi Watts-led spin-off (which stalled at pilot stage) briefly choosing Northern Ireland as its base. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on Sky Atlantic and NOW on Monday 19th January 2026. 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.
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.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3's Culling Game rules explained
The latest episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen have hit like a train, yet not a single punch was thrown. Following Yuta Okkotsu's addition to the team, Yuji Itadori and the gang suddenly find themselves front row at an episode-long lecture about the impending apocalypse. As the freaky-looking Tengen explains, The Culling Game they're about to enter is a Battle Royale-style deathmatch that will span the entire nation of Japan. That means it's a big deal for every sorcerer who takes part, plus all of us watching back home too. But boy there are a lot of rules. To be fair, the animators do an incredible job of keeping us entertained without any cursed battling in sight. Flow charts have never come with so much aura. Still though. It's a lot. The rules flashed up ever so briefly in the first two episodes, but for those of us who don't wish to pause and read text longer than the Bible, I'm on hand to break down Kenjaku's plan in more detail. What is The Culling Game? The tournament isn't your typical anime showdown. The ancient sorcerer Kenjaku, aka, the guy who ruined all our lives in season two's Shibuya Incident, has been planning this battle royale for centuries. His goal is to pit 1000 sorcerers against each other in a game where anyone can die at any point. Even Kenjaku can snuff it, but if he does, The Culling Game will continue anyway, generating enough cursed energy for him to transform the whole of Japan into one singular cursed entity. The wildest thing about all this is that he's essentially doing it all for giggles because not even Kenjaku knows what will happen after this. Yuji, Megumi Fushiguro and the gang want to stop this because, well, you can guess why already. But they also want to specifically save Megumi's sister, Tsumiki, who is now one of the many humans who Kenjaku awakened as a sorcerer at the end of season 2. And the odds of surviving a game with "Culling" in the name seems unlikely. There's also the matter of Satoru Gojo, the blue-eyed wonder who was sealed in the Prison Realm last season. As the most powerful Jujutsu sorcerer, his return would turn the tide in humanity's favour. But to free Gojo, the gang must compete in order to find a reincarnated sorcerer named Angel who holds the power to break his seal. All caught up? Let's break down the rules in more detail. Rule 1: Every player must choose a colony within 19 days Anyone who's participating, whether they're choosing to join or were awakened by Kenjaku against their will, must enter a colony within 19 days. There are 10 colonies in total across Japan to select from, each separated by an impenetrable barrier. Once you've declared your decision, you are now officially a player in the Culling Game. As brutal as the 19 day deadline is, it also prevents anyone from training longer and gaining an unfair advantage. Plus, there's nothing like a deadline this deadly to stir up a little extra tension. Rule 2: Breaking the first rule will result in almost certain death Why don't participants just say no? Anyone who refuses to compete once they've awakened will have their cursed technique removed (Idle Transfiguration), which results in brain damage and most likely, death. This clause stops anyone who tries to skip the game or even forfeit after the game has begun. Kenjaku is a sneaky bugger alright. Rule 3: Civilians have one chance to leave the game Regular folk who don't possess cursed energy can't usually see spirits without the aid of a special tool. That means innocent bystanders might accidentally cross a colony barrier without even realising it, which would technically make them a player too. However, those who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time are given one chance to exit at the very start. If they choose to remain, then all the rules of The Culling Game will apply to them from here on out. Kenjaku isn't all that nice for introducing this component though, because he's really all about just throwing extra chaos into the mix. Rule 4: Players earn points by killing each other Want to win? You need to kill other competitors to secure those much-needed points. As such, the game isn't so much about survival as it is slaughter. Players are encouraged to go on the offensive, which results in utter carnage throughout this longer-than-average arc. As if that wasn't chaotic enough, Kenjaku also adds extra wild cards halfway through in the form of newly awakened sorcerers and resurrected curse-users from the past. Rule 5: Every player has a set point value Killing is key for everyone who competes, but not all players are valued equally. While sorcerers and cursed spirits are worth 5 points, non-sorcerers are only worth a measly one point. Still, every win counts, especially when game master Kenjaku can change a player's worth on a whim depending on their threat level. This creates an intriguing dynamic where powerful sorcerers become the focus for players hoping to earn big while others hunt out low-score humans to play it safe. Rule 6: 100 points can be used to propose a new rule This rule is a literal game-changer because any player who stacks up 100 points can propose a new rule to Kenjaku. These new rules can do anything from reshape the battlefield to creating different mechanics that aid the player in question. As such, rule-making is essentially another type of weapon for those strong and smart enough to wield this power correctly. It's safe to say that this rule easily tips the scales in favour of more powerful sorcerers who can rack up those points quicker. Sorry to all the random humans who stroll in unawares. Rule 7: Kenjaku must approve each new rule Of course, there's always a catch. Players can ask for almost anything, but only up to a point. That's because the one rule players can't request is the removal of rules previously set in place by Kenjaku. Kind of like a 'genie refusing to give more wishes' kind of deal. Long-term changes are also disallowed. Essentially, Kenjaku can do what he wants with these requests. And remember, his priority is to maximise the body count, because he's kind of messed up like that. View oEmbed on the source website Rule 8: Stop for 19 days and your cursed technique is removed While the first rule gave players 19 days to choose a colony, the final rule punishes competitors who don't increase their score for the same length of time. Sit idle for 19 days and you lose your cursed technique, which usually results in death for the player who's been targeted. So much for waiting things out until everyone else is dead. This rule quickly weeds out anyone who's too weak to make an impact on the tournament, plus it adds even more pressure to an already stressful game. And by "stressful," I mean "unbearable to the point of madness". Combined, these rules create monsters out of good people and make bad people even worse. In short, this is a horrifying ordeal that sucks for everyone competing, but kind of rules for us waiting to see all the endless culling unfold back home. So. Much. Culling. And with that, there's nothing left to except let The Culling Game commence! And may the odds be ever in your favour. Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 is streaming now on Crunchyroll. 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.
Emmerdale and Boots star confirmed for major villain role in God of War TV series
Hot on the heels of announcing titular protagonist Kratos alongside Thor’s wife Sif, Prime Video has revealed another major role for its upcoming God of War series with its latest casting news. Deadline has confirmed that Emmerdale and Boots star Max Parker is the latest actor to join the cast of Prime Video’s upcoming God of War TV adaptation, alongside Ryan Hurst and Teresa Palmer. Parker will be playing Heimdall Odinson, the Watchman of Asgard and one of Odin’s sons – a major antagonist in the Sony video game franchise who proves a key obstacle to Kratos and his son, Atreus. Described as “handsome and dynamic” but “unappreciated by his father and underestimated by the rest of the family” the character is driven by a desire to earn the favour of his father and family, and, as a result, improve his position within the hierarchy of the famous Norse dynasty. Although Heimdall does not feature in the 2018 God of War game, he plays a major role as the Herald of Ragnarök in the 2022 sequel God of War Ragnarök, as the father-and-son duo set out to end the reign of Odin, King of Asgard. Fans who have yet to play the award-winning video games may recognise the character from Idris Elba’s portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but this is a very different take on Heimdall, who is depicted as a far more detestable villain in the God of War franchise. Following breakout roles in British soaps Casualty and Emmerdale, Parker has gone on to star as Mikhail Tanner in Peacock’s fantasy horror series Vampire Academy, as Sgt Sullivan in Netflix’s military comedy drama Boots, and as Manny in the fifteenth series of Doctor Who. The upcoming TV adaptation from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios - which has already been renewed for a second season - will focus on the franchise’s Norse era. With this latest casting announcement, it appears that the series will be integrating Heimdall much earlier in the story. The series comes from Outlander and For All Mankind writer and producer Ronald D Moore, who is on board as writer, showrunner and executive producer. He is joined by Frederick EO Toye (Shōgun, The Boys), who will direct the first two episodes. The live-action adaptation will centre on the relationship between Kratos and his 10-year-old son Atreus, as they embark on a journey to scatter the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. The synopsis teases a heartfelt and evolving dynamic throughout their adventure, as "Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human". With casting announcements coming thick and fast, fans are undoubtedly waiting with bated breath to learn who will be playing Kratos's son Atreus. We’ll keep you updated as soon as the news breaks. 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.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 release date speculation and news
Everything we know so far about The Titan's Curse.
Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians has wrapped its Sea of Monsters arc on Disney+, with all eyes now turning to the third chapter in this flashy adaptation. Following the action-packed season 2 finale – and that unexpected twist involving Thalia (Tamara Smart) – fans were treated to an exciting reveal midway through the credits. Based on the beloved Rick Riordan books, the story chronicles the formative years of demigod Percy (Walker Scobell) as he gets to know the wild world of ancient Greek gods to which he belongs. The series has proven a breakout hit for Disney+, so it's no surprise that a third season is currently in production in Vancouver – and further along than you might expect! Indeed, with its stars growing up fast and its viewers eager to see every book adapted to the screen, the team behind Percy Jackson and the Olympians are racing to bring us more episodes as soon as possible. Here's what we know so far about Percy Jackson season 3 on Disney+. Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 release date speculation As the credits rolled on the season 2 cliffhanger, fans were treated to an unexpected first look at the third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, before Disney confirmed that the upcoming instalment will debut later this year – an impressive turnaround indeed. The mid-credits footage from the upcoming season teased a highly anticipated moment from the third novel in Rick Riordan’s series, The Titan’s Curse, with Percy (Walker Scobell) & Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) taking to the dance floor. As Annabeth leads Percy onto the dance floor, she pulls him closer and the pair begin to slow dance to Stephen Sanchez’s Until I Found You, teasing the huge Percabeth moment book fans have been waiting for. The scene will adapt the moment the duo go undercover at Westover Hall, a military academy in Maine, in the hope of rescuing three hostages. “First look. First dance. Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres THIS YEAR,” the official Percy Jackson and the Olympians account posted alongside the sneak peek on Instagram. With such a quick turnaround for the upcoming third instalment, it certainly seems Disney are keen to avoid the issue of the show’s young leads aging too rapidly between seasons - a challenge the Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, famously encountered. "We're so grateful to be continuing the story of Percy Jackson on Disney+," said author Rick Riordan. "This third season will be new territory for the screen, bringing fan favourites like the Hunters of Artemis and Nico di Angelo to life for the first time. "It's a huge sign of commitment from Disney, and speaks volumes about the enthusiasm with which the fandom has embraced the TV show. Thank you, demigods worldwide!" Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 cast: Who is returning and who are the new additions? Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri will return to the Percy Jackson cast for season 3, reprising the iconic roles of Camp Half-Blood kids Percy, Annabeth and Grover. Other returning Camp Half-Blood demigods include Tamara Smart and Charlie Bushnell, reprising their key roles in the growing conflict between the Titan Lord Kronos and the Olympians. They'll be joined by a slew of new additions, including His Dark Materials and Deadpool & Wolverine star Dafne Keen as the goddess Artemis, whose kidnapping by Atlas is a key plot point in the third chapter. Atlas himself is to be portrayed by Holt McCallany, whose recent credits include Netflix dramas The Waterfront and The Lincoln Lawyer, plus action flick The Amateur and tragic biopic The Iron Claw. Also joining the hit fantasy drama in season 3 is Saturday Night Live and Barbie star Kate McKinnon, who is taking on the role of Aphrodite; another member of the pantheon that Percy crosses paths with in this latest adventure. Rounding out the new additions are Jesse L Martin (The Flash) as Annabeth's father Frederick, Saara Chaudry (The Muppets Mayhem) as Artemis' top lieutenant Zoë Nightshade, and David Costabile (Billions) as the villainous Dr Thorn, and Olive Abercrombie and Levi Chrisopulos as the children of Hade - Nico and Bianca di Angelo. Here's an overview of the Percy Jackson cast: Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan Tamara Smart as Thalia Grace Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue Daniel Diemer as Tyson Glynn Turman as Chiron / Mr Brunner Nick Boraine as Kronos Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus / Mr D Adam Copeland as Ares Timothy Simons as King Tantalus Kate McKinnon as Aphrodite Holt McCallany as Atlas David Costabile as Dr Thorn Jesse L Martin as Frederick Chase Levi Chrisopulos as Nico di Angelo Olive Abercrombie as Bianca di Angelo Dafne Keen as Artemis Saara Chaudry as Zoë Nightshade Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 plot speculation: What will happen next? Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 is, fittingly, adapting the third book in Rick Riordan's series of novels, titled The Titan's Curse, which sends the main character on a rescue mission. The book synopsis, courtesy of Penguin, reads: "A powerful goddess has gone missing. The Greek gods are on the brink of war with the Titans. And there's the minor threat of a mystery beast that could destroy Mount Olympus forever. "This time, Percy's going to need help and he's found two powerful demigods for the job... There's just the small problem of the prophecy. The one that has predicted not all of them will survive. But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. Right?" Following the shocking season 2 finale - which saw the series deviate from the source material regarding Thalia’s fate and the true reason she was turned into a pine tree - the dramatic tension has certainly ramped up in the growing conflict between the Olympians and Kronos. As revealed by the centaur Chiron (Glynn Turman), Thalia was turned into a tree not to save her life, as previously believed, but as a punishment from her father Zeus for refusing to join him in the coming war, declaring that she’ll “never be a weapon”. With the Great Prophecy looming, which champion will it refer to: Thalia or Percy? And which side of the upcoming conflict will they choose to join? Percy Jackson star Walker Scobell has already started generating hype for the next season by assuring fans that the adaptation won't be straying far from the beloved source material. "I think season 3 is... the most book-accurate season we've had yet, just from watching it," he told The Direct. "The book is just perfect to break up into eight episodes. So it's just really worked out so far, and I've been really happy with it." Is there a Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 trailer? Not a full trailer per say, but Disney has officially released the brief first look footage teased during the season 2 finale mid-credits scene online, spotlighting the highly anticipated Percabeth moment. You can watch the Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 first-look footage below. You can also revisit the season 2 trailer below. View Green Video on the source website Percy Jackson and the Olympians is available to stream on Disney+. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month. Add Percy Jackson and the Olympians 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.
Harry Potter TV series: Release date speculation, casting & latest news
Everything to know about the new Wizarding World TV series adapting the original seven books.
As filming on HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series continues, some key figures behind the production are starting to give their assessments of how it's going thus far, and what fans can expect. For instance, in December 2025, HBO Max head of original content Sarah Aubrey spoke about the series while on a panel at Content London, as reported by Variety. Aubrey said that she was visiting the set of the series the following day, before adding: "I just keep thinking, it’s such a delightful adaptation of the books. And I think when people watch it, they [will] think, 'These are the books.'" Meanwhile, Warwick Davis, currently the only star to be returning from the Harry Potter movies to play the same part of Filius Flitwick in the series, spoke about the new adaptation on Times Radio, as reported by Deadline. "I’m working on it at the moment, but I can’t really tell you anything other than we’re retelling those wonderful stories but with more depth and detail than has been seen before," he said. "They’re very faithful adaptations of the book. "We’re obviously telling the same story so there are similar moments that we’re experiencing as actors on the set. But it’s weird being back in the same studios again, doing it all again, because Leavesden is where we shot the films." Of course, with filming ongoing, we're still far off from getting a specific release date, but more news is being revealed frequently. Most recently, Hans Zimmer and his collective of composers, named Bleeding Fingers, were tapped to compose the score for the series. Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve and Anže Rozman said in a statement together: "The musical legacy of Harry Potter is a touch point for composers everywhere and we are humbled to join such a remarkable team on a project of this magnitude. The responsibility is something that myself, Kara Talve and Anže Rozman do not take lightly. "Magic is all around us, often just beyond reach, but as in the world of Harry Potter, you simply must look for it. With this score we hope to bring audiences that little bit closer to it whilst honoring what has come before." For more on the Harry Potter series, including the potential release date, more casting news, and the TV show's plot, the rest of this watch guide below has you covered. Harry Potter TV series release date speculation HBO's Harry Potter adaptation is currently expected to premiere in 2027, following comments by CEO & President of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav. Originally reported by TVLine, Zaslav told press back in November 2024: "Oh, it could probably be [2027], something like that." "But don’t hold me to any of that, because we’re just getting started in the writing and casting process." Although an exact release date hasn't been announced yet, we'll update this page as soon as we hear more. A lot has happened since Zaslav's comments, including the casting of the key actors, but logistically it still looks like a 2027 release date for the Harry Potter show is doable. Filming for the new Harry Potter began in July 2025, kickstarting what is intended to be a seven-season adaptation, taking place across the UK in locations like London Zoo, King's Cross Station, and Hertfordshire. One obvious concern is making sure the show stays on track to release one new season per year, so the lead actors don't end up growing too old for their roles. Speaking about HBO's plans to film new seasons as quickly and efficiently as possible, HBO CEO Casey Bloys, explained to Collider’s Steve Weintraub: "From 11 to 13, is a big jump in kids' lives. You can get away with 13 to 15, something like that. So we are going to have to think about scheduling and shooting so that they don’t grow too much between seasons. It is a consideration." "I think an annual schedule would be tough, but it depends on how much is written ahead of time." In November 2025, Bloys confirmed that season 2 was already being written. Bloys told reporters during a press conference, as reported by Deadline: "The plan is to still try and get it — I don’t know if it’s going to be like stop shooting Season 1 on Friday and start Season 2 on Monday. "There’ll be a break in there, but we’re going to do whatever we can to not have a huge gap. For the kids, obviously, but also for viewers. You know, trying to not have massive gaps. It is a big show, lots of special effects, obviously, massive operation, but we’re going to do what we can." Bloys also previously confirmed that author JK Rowling is involved in the project, amid ongoing controversy regarding her views on trans rights, which have turned many former fans away from the franchise. In response to these concerns, an HBO spokesperson said (via Variety): "We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance". "JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement." This has done little to quell concerns over Rowling's impact as a public figure, and how her income from the Potter franchise may be used to facilitate anti-LGBTQ+ projects. In recent years, the author was notably absent from the 20-year anniversary special of the Harry Potter movies, and the 2023 Hogwarts Legacy spin-off game faced boycotts. Meanwhile, several fan-run organisations have distanced themselves from Rowling, including the international association for real-life Quidditch, which has renamed the sport "quadball." Who will be the cast starring in the Harry Potter TV series? As mentioned above, the lead stars playing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have been confirmed. Back in September 2024, there was an open casting call looking for the three kids, with Warner boss Channing Dungey admitting it would be "tricky" to allocate the roles (via Variety). Now we know that, in HBO's Harry Potter series, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione and Alastair Stout will play Ron. Stanton is known for having previously starred in the West End production of Matilda, as well as the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of Starlight Express. Stout has been seen in TV advertisements, while McLaughlin will be seen in Sky Original comedy Grow. Following the lead actors being announced, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod said in a statement to Variety: "After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron". "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there." Meanwhile, HBO previously announced that John Lithgow is set to play Albus Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter show. Lithgow previously said of taking on the role: "It came as a total surprise to me. I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited." Elsewhere, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) will star as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) will star as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) will appear as Rubeus Hagrid. While those four series regulars had previously been rumoured to be joining the project, some other new additions have been more unexpected. The more surprising additions are Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show) as Argus Filch, who will appear in guest/recurring roles. Thallon is currently best known in the theatre world and most recently starred in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2025 Hamlet. In June, a whole load of new additions were also announced to fill out supporting roles. Katherine Parkinson (Rivals) will play Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt (Lord of the Flies) will play Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn (Ripley) will play Lucius Malfoy and Bertie Carvel (The Crown) will play Cornelius Fudge. Meanwhile, Leo Earley will play Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni will play Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah will play Lavender Brown, Bel Powley (Masters of the Air) will play Petunia Dursley and Daniel Rigby (I, Jack Wright) will play Vernon Dursley. Unfortunately, those hoping for returns from the film franchise's stars, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson or Rupert Grint, are out of luck – it's not looking likely. Chatting to ComicBook.com, Radcliffe quashed any speculation about him making an appearance. He said: "My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh, and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere." He continued: "So I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way… but I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it." Argus Filch star David Bradley told RadioTimes.com: "I think it’ll be very interesting to see what they will do with the extra time they’ll have to film more of the books than we could. "The Goblet of Fire and the last two, they were quite chunky – how do you condense those into a two and a half hour film? "Of course, you’ve got to sacrifice quite a lot of plot and characters. I’m assuming the reason they’re doing it is they’ll be able to include more of the story because they’ll have more screen time – a lot more than the films had. I’ll be interested. I haven’t had the call yet!" Asked whether it felt strange to see a new adaptation in the works, Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, mused: "It’s no weirder for me than for everybody else who’s seen the films. I happen to be in the films too." View Green Video on the source website He continued: "They make a new Spider-Man every 15 minutes. You know, there was a ton of stuff in the books that we left out. Yeah, it's an odd feeling, but it’s no odder for me than it is anyone else. I can’t wait to see them and see what they do." Behind the camera, we know that His Dark Materials writer Francesca Gardiner will serve as showrunner, while Succession director Mark Mylod is attached to produce and film some episodes. Meanwhile, JK Rowling will executive produce the series, alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. "Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series," said Rowling. Who is playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter series? The actor who will be playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter HBO series hasn't been revealed just yet, but well-known contenders like Matthew Macfadyen, Matt Smith, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hiddleston are in the running, according to Online Betting Guide. However, known entertainment industry leaker Daniel Richtman recently posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the Harry Potter TV show is "auditioning both men and women for Voldemort", so there is a chance Tom Riddle could be portrayed by a woman. There is no confirmation of either claim yet, but we will be updating this guide as soon as we hear more. What is the Harry Potter TV series about? The series will be based on all seven books in the series, originally published between 1997 and 2007. A statement from the newly branded Max explained: "The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. "The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years." It continued: "Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally." The Harry Potter series will stream 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.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner: "Season 1 was definitely written for George RR Martin"
The new Game of Thrones spin-off is a “buddy comedy” – smaller in scale but bigger in heart, says showrunner Ira Parker.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. On a grassy hillside, a young hero with a sword on his hip stares out to his destiny. Fame, glory, honour – and gold. Familiar music, the award-winning Game of Thrones theme, swells majestically as young Duncan takes a step towards history… Cut to the same man, terrified, emptying his bowels behind a tree. Because A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – which begins this week on Sky Atlantic – isn’t quite the grand epic we have come to expect from the world of Game of Thrones, even if it is set in the same fictional land of Westeros. “I joke sometimes that we’re just Game of Thrones without all the stuff,” laughs showrunner Ira Parker. “My goal is to make this stand on its own so that, even if none of the other shows had happened, you could still watch episode one and you could follow that journey.” Airing from 2011 to 2019, Game of Thrones – adapted from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels – was fantasy drama on an epic scale and one of the biggest TV successes this century. When the inevitable spin-off, House of the Dragon, came in 2022, it was in the form of a prequel set centuries earlier, when an even grander conflict was brewing between the noble houses of Westeros. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a humbler prospect. It’s set about 90 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones and eschews its predecessors’ huge casts and continent-spanning action. Instead, it follows penniless knight Ser Duncan the Tall (aka Dunk, played by Peter Claffey) and his bald-headed squire Egg (played by Dexter Sol Ansell), who turn up at a tournament hoping to win money. “It’s a buddy comedy,” suggests Parker. “It’s a ‘lone wolf and cub’ story. It’s an adventure series.” View Green Video on the source website Not that there aren’t still sky-high expectations. This first series is adapted from The Hedge Knight, a novella written by Martin in 1998, and over the years (and two literary sequels), dynamic duo Dunk and Egg have attracted an affectionate fanbase. “My favourite part of the books and the original TV show is the odd-couple pairings,” Parker says. For those who’ve watched Game of Thrones, he likens Dunk and Egg to the characters played by Gwendoline Christie and Daniel Portman: “It’s like Brienne and Pod: the TV show.” But it’s taken a while to bring that simple idea to screen. Parker, 41, was working as a writer on House of the Dragon when he first heard whispers that Martin’s other Westeros-set books could become a TV show. After he was given the job, it took even longer to work out how to do it. “That was a pre-pandemic writers’ room,” he says. “That feels like a lifetime ago. I had no children and a tiny little apartment in West Hollywood. Now I’m living in Belfast and my third child is due in a couple of days.” A key difficulty was finding a convincing Dunk and Egg, described in the books as a nearly seven-foot-tall man-mountain and a tiny bald boy respectively. Not quite central casting. “We scoured the world for the tallest people we could possibly find that had any sort of acting experience,” Parker says. “It’s hard – Hollywood doesn’t like tall actors. But we got really lucky because Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell are the only two people on planet Earth who could have done this, and they both agreed.” In 29-year-old Claffey, he says, they struck gold. Not only is he tall – 6ft 5in – with a TV CV that includes Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters, but he’s also an ex-professional rugby player, which makes him convincing as rough-and-ready Dunk. “There are things that Peter does so easily that we would have to get a stunt guy to do,” Parker marvels. “This big, heavy sack that he just casually throws up on the ramparts, and goes over… “And Dexter is the best child actor on planet Earth. It feels unfair to call him a child actor. He’s professional. He can riff. He takes notes.” As we speak, Parker is on set with them filming season two, already commissioned for next year. Beyond that, Martin only published one further novella starring the duo, but famously, Game of Thrones skipped ahead of Martin’s unfinished book series. Could this do the same? “George has a document of everything that happens for 13, 14, 15 of these novellas,” Parker says. “He just has to write them. The nice thing is, we know what the ending is. We would never be left making anything up. We would just have a looser road map than what we have right now. The show’s a reflection of the novellas, of the underlying source on which they are based. We take it back to the books. We drop you into a new location every season. We tell you a story and we wrap it up. And we have a bit of fun. So if you’re a fan of the books, hopefully you’ll like this show.” In any case, he says, he has already satisfied the only viewer who matters: Martin himself. “In this job you don’t try to write for a wide audience, because so many people like so many different things,” he says. “You pick a person, and you write for them. Season one was definitely written for George. The Hedge Knight is very close to him. He’s told me before that book is, he thinks, the best thing that he’s ever written. “He read every first draft of all the episodes. I think they went to him first, even before they went to HBO. And me and him would have conversations. It was rarely contentious. I’ll not say ‘never’…” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available on Sky and NOW, with new episodes arriving on Mondays. In the US, the show airs on HBO on Sundays. 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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.