HBO's Game of Thrones was one of the channel's most-watched shows when it was broadcast from 2011 to 2019, however the finale was met with criticism as fans expressed their disappointment at how the series ended.
Now, another George R R Martin-adapted series has come to HBO. Called House of the Dragon, based on Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood, the prequel takes place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the beginning of the end of House Targaryen after a civil war called the Dance of Dragons breaks out.
Here's everything you need to know about the new show.
When was ‘House of the Dragon’ released?
The first episode was broadcast on August 21 on HBO Max. There are 10 episodes in the first season.
Viewers in the UAE can watch it on OSN+ from August 22.
Who is in the cast?
Paddy Considine stars as King Viserys Targaryen with Emma D’Arcy as his firstborn daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the king’s younger brother and heir to the throne. Olivia Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, while Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, her father and the Hand of the King.
Meanwhile, Milly Alcock plays the young Rhaenyra, while Emily Carey appears as the young Alicent.
The cast also includes Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.
What is the series about?
The highly anticipated prequel tells the story of the Targaryen family. It begins with the story of King Viserys sitting on the Iron Throne with his daughter, Rhaenyra, next in line. However, this leads to dissension in Westeros as not everyone is happy with the decision.
"I saw rough cuts of a couple more episodes of House of the Dragon, and was just as pleased as I was with the earlier episodes," said Martin in a blog post earlier this year. "[Producers] Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] and their cast and crew are doing great work."
"Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters [as I do] will like this series, I think. There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/adventure."
Will any ‘Game of Thrones’ stars appear in the show?
It is unlikely that any familiar faces from Game of Thrones will appear in House of the Dragon as the prequel takes place much earlier. However, there are references to other houses with connections to Game of Thrones, such as the Starks, Lannisters and Baratheons.
What do we learn from the latest trailer?
The newest trailer for House of the Dragon was released on May 5. In the clip, which is about a minute-and-a-half long, viewers are shown King Viserys presenting his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, as his heir, but not all the residents in Westeros are seemingly willing to accept her as their leader.
In typical fashion, violence ensues. In the final moments, we’re also given a first look at the fire-breathing dragon from the House of Targaryen.
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
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