As the new series of Game Of Thrones starts on Sky Atlantic this week, the first episode will be followed by Thronecast, a new show for fans fronted by Sue Perkins.
And although it's hard to imagine the comedian's Great British Bake Off pal Mary Berry sitting down to watch the bloodthirsty antics of Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister, Sue insists that the 80-year-old TV cook and baker isn't averse to a bit of violence when it comes to her telly viewing.
Sue Perkins and Mary Berry with their Great British Bake Off co-stars Mel Giedroyc and Paul Hollywood (Ian West/PA)
“I always try and protect Mary, but she’s so robust, she never finds anything too violent or too bawdy," reveals Sue. "There are many things Mary does that you can’t picture her doing…”
Revealing that Mary was not yet a Game Of Thrones fan, Sue says: “I might get her into it though. We got her into Mad Men last year, and one year we got her a box set of The Prisoner."
Sue Perkins and Jamie East present Thronecast (Stuart McCarthy/Sky Atlantic)
Explaining her own love of Game Of Thrones, Sue said: “Those who dismiss Game Of Thrones do so at their peril, for this show contains the most important themes seen in any grand works of literature. The questing knight, for example, normally a dude in full armour who traverses the landscape is, in this iteration, a statuesque woman named Brienne of Tarth. For that reason alone, I would watch Game Of Thrones, but there are many others.
“Dragons, for example, permanently flying over the charred landscape, beheadings, some involving a horse, boobs aplenty if that’s your bag, whispering in dark corners, politics, bordellos, random emasculations, the massive quest for the iron throne and all of those matters undecided as yet.”
The new series of Game Of Thrones begin on Sky Atlantic on Monday, 13 April at 9.00pm. Thronecast follows at 10.00pm.
