The new Game of Thrones prequel series House Of The Dragon has taken the world by storm and now Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy will return for an epic season two.
The series is set roughly 200 years before the likes of Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen are even born, but has hooked fans in exactly the same way.
In a bid to win the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon’s first season covered the build-up to a civil war that will tear the Targaryen and Hightower families apart.
The once-reigning family has split into two sides: the Greens, made up of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her son Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn Carney), and the Blacks, consisting of Rhaenerya Targaryen (D’Arcy) and her uncle-husband Daemon Targaryen (Smith).
After the first season set the scene, and introduced us to the two warring factions of the Targaryen family, we now await to see the battles continue between King Aegon II and Queen Rhaenyra in the fight for Westeros.
The first episode of season one is available to view for free on YouTube, released in the same week that fellow fantasy series Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power began in August 2022.
The second season was renewed days before the second episode aired worldwide, following an incredible response.
With a star-studded cast including Olivia Cooke and Paddy Considine, the show is jam-packed full of dragons, drama, and political intrigue.
So how can you go about keeping up with the programme if you’re in the UK?
Here’s what you need to know.
What time does House of the Dragon air on Sky tonight?
The first episode of season two will air in the UK at 2am tomorrow morning on Sky Atlantic.
But, for those who won’t be awake at that time to catch it, it will be aired again at 9pm on Monday.
How many episodes of House Of The Dragon will there be?
There are going to be 8 episodes of House Of The Dragon in total, following 10 from season one.
That means the final will be airing in two months, expected on Sunday, August 4.
When is House Of The Dragon set in the Game of Thrones timeline?
House Of The Dragon is a prequel set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
Therefore, we shouldn’t see any characters we’ve previously met before – unless the show includes any potential flash-forward scenes.
While at the start of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her brother Viserys (Henry Lloyd) were forced to fend for themselves in the outside world, in House Of the Dragon, House Targaryen is still at the height of its power, with King Viserys Targaryen I sitting on the Iron Throne.
However, as fans of the books and original TV series already know, the grand House will experience its downfall at some point… and the events of the new series could lead that way.
Who is in the House Of The Dragon cast?
Emma D’Arcy plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the eldest child of Paddy Considine’s King Viserys I, whose possible inheritance of the throne becomes a topic of contention in King’s Landing.
Milly Alcock plays the young version of the princess in her teen years, while Doctor Who star Matt Smith plays her uncle and the king’s younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen.
Olivia Cooke stars as Lady Alicent Hightower, with Emily Carey playing the teen version of the character, while Rhys Ifans stars as Ser Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father and Hand of the King.
The Serpent actor Fabien Frankel portrays knight Ser Criston Cole, while Sonoya Mizuno appears as Prince Daemon’s paramour Mysaria.
Eve Best plays Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, otherwise known as the Queen Who Never Was, while Steve Toussaint stars as her husband Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as the Sea Snake.
House Of The Dragon is available to watch on Sky Atlantic.
MORE : House of The Dragon fans are already gutted over impending cast change: ‘I’m not ready!’
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