Game of Thrones Season 3 Launch

“Winter is coming.”

So read the words of House Stark, and so reads the motto of Game Of Thrones at large. Over in the real-world, and winter won’t leave us alone. Is this an incredibly elaborate publicity stunt on the part of HBO; have they perhaps created a true Westerosi winter – one that lasts for years on end - to promote the new series? Well, perhaps not. But they – along with Sky Atlantic - definitely were responsible for hosting a very special preview party for the arrival of season three of what has fast become one of their flagship shows.

Arriving in the area, it didn’t take much figuring out which building was hosting the event, given that the Iron Throne itself (well, a replica, at least) was standing tall and imposing at the entrance. With members of the cast strolling up the red carpet, anticipation for season three was ramped up to unbearable levels. Thankfully, then, it’s wasn't long before we were treated to a screening of episode one of the new season – and it’s everything you would hope for. While ostensibly an establishing episode, it bears all the hallmarks of classic Game of Thrones; it’s funny, violent, gorgeously staged and delightfully performed. It’s an utter joy to have Peter Dinklage, Lena Heady, et al back on our screens.

After the rapturous applause at the episode’s end dies down, several members of the cast are introduced on stage for a Q&A session. Gwendoline Christie, Michelle Fairley, Charles Dance and Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Brienne of Tarth, Catelyn Stark, Tywin Lannister and Bran Stark) are greeted like heroes, and all seem completely at ease with one another, and with the adoration of the audience; they love every moment of it! Frustratingly, the questions put to the cast veer from the banal to the inane, but the cast make the best of it, and Christie and Fairley decide to have a great time anyway. They spend most of the session laughing and joking with one another, making each other cackle in such a genuine way that it becomes infectious.

When quizzed on the show’s nudity, Michelle Fairley responds amusingly; “I have a no nudity clause in my contract. They made me put it in!” Gwendoline Christie, meanwhile, proves to have excellent comic timing to go with her striking frame. “It’s just SO boring”, she groans, when asked to detail her fitness regime for the role, while she repeatedly makes reference to a day of filming in Croatia when she stole away with Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell, also in attendance) and spent the day on a speed-boat with him out on the ocean. Whether it actually happened or not, Christie’s tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink attitude when telling it is hilarious. We can’t see Finn Jones; but we can only assume he’s blushing.

But it’s not all jokes; she’s also asked about the harsh, exposing nature of playing Brienne – particularly the verbal abuse she receives from Jaime Lannister, in regards to her appearance. “It was exactly what I was most scared of. Being a 6ft 3" woman, I’ve encountered that sort of abuse since I was 14 years old. So having the opportunity to take that into a public forum, via acting, I thought it might actually challenge some notions and prejudices, and if I can change one person’s mindset about the way we regarded people who are outside the conventional norms, then I might actually be justifying my existence.” No comment on the night – not even the episode itself – garnered such applause as that mission statement, and rightly so.

Not to be outdone by the ladies, Charles Dance, as the indomitable Tywin Lannister, is every bit as imposing and powerful in the flesh, and he too rings the laughs. When it’s suggested that his character hasn’t had any sex yet, he’s asked if he’s put out by that, and he takes a long, drawn-out pause, before bellowing out a gruff “Yes!” He’s also highly complementary towards young Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark. “I’ve never worked with anybody with such a knowledge of the medium, and awareness of herself. She knows all the little things, like not moving muscles in her face, and letting her eyes do the work... she’s phenomenal.” Once the Q&A wraps up, we’re all invited downstairs to “the crypt” to enjoy some food, drinks and music. 

And that’s exactly what we do! Adorned with throw rugs to sit on, barrels for tables, and a series of giant portraits of prominent Game of Thrones characters staring down on us from the walls, we relax and discuss the events of the first episode and the potential for what’s to come later in the season. While the cast keep largely to their VIP area (courtesy of some extremely defensive and over-zealous PR people), they all appear to be having fun, and the good vibes reverberate throughout the room. And the delicious bowls of food doing the rounds don't hurt, either!

Once the bars run dry and the music stops playing, it’s back to reality and we must venture back outside into the freezing cold streets of London. Winter may still be here, but the nights won’t feel quite so cold with Game of Thrones back on our screens.

Game of Thrones Season 3, episode 1 is titled 'Valar Dohaeris', and airs on Sky Atlantic at 9pm on Monday 1^st April.

Photos: Sky Atlantic.