If you’ve missed Westeros, then you’re in luck because the new Game of Thrones spin-off is about to launch very soon.
It’s called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it’s very different from other shows set in George R.R. Martin’s wonderful (and sometimes horrible) world.
You see, unlike Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which follow the lords and ladies of Westeros, this new show is all about the lower class.
Our hero is Dunk (Peter Claffey), a poor hedge knight looking to make a name for himself in a tourney. Along the way, he picks up a cheeky young squire named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) and let’s just say things quickly get out of hand.
Of course, it can be tough for Game of Thrones fans to get excited these days, as many are still burned by Drogon’s fire after the season eight finale and House of the Dragon season two’s unsatisfying ending.
Well, there’s one person who thinks you’ll love this spin-off because, in his words, it’s ‘different’ to its predecessors.
Showrunner Ira Parker explained what makes the series different to Metro, while we were at the UK premiere of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
‘We’re telling contained stories,’ he began. ‘This is a little bit of a different format.
‘It’s almost an adventure series that we get in, we set up a story, we’re going to tell you the story with these two characters, and then we’re going to close it up for the season.
‘There are no cliffhangers at the end of this, so hopefully you will have enjoyed yourself, and if you want to tune in for the future adventures of Dunk and Egg, you can do that.’
Indeed, Ira believes the show makes clear it’s different from its brutal predecessors in the final scene of the first episode.
‘We don’t end with a kid getting thrown out of a window. We end [on something] that’s very emblematic of what this entire show is trying to be.
‘It’s trying to be hopeful… And the stakes are quite personal. There’s no dead coming to kill mankind.
‘There’s no big political stakes. This is a more intimate show.’
Of course, for as different as Knight can be at times, Ira thinks fundamentally what makes this show work is the same reason people originally fell in love with Thrones.
Is Knight of the Seven Kingdoms worth watching?
Our Game of Thrones expert Rob Wilson shares his thoughts on the new spin-off…
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms confidently expands the world of Westeros by staying away from the lords and castles of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
It pulls back the curtain on those lower down the food chain in the Seven Kingdoms, and focuses especially on those who take it upon themselves to protect the innocent in this brutal feudal world.
Read the full review here.
‘You’ve seen the brutal side of Westeros, [but people] come to this [world] for the same reason I did, for characters like Pod and Brienne, the Hound and Aria,’ he explained.
‘George does odd couple pairings better than anyone else, and I think that’s what it comes down to: having characters that you want to follow.
Will you be watching A Kmight of the Seven Kingdoms?
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Aye
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Nay
‘I think Sir Duncan the Tall belongs within that pantheon of people you just hope for good things for, you can’t help but root for Dunk.
‘Obviously, as is George’s way, brutal things can happen to the very best people in this world, just like very good things can happen to the worst people in this world, so we’ll see where Duncan ends up falling by the end of the season.’
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be available to watch on NOW and Sky from January 19.
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