THE third series of the big-budget fantasy drama Game of Thrones made its debut last night, attracting record audiences and gushing reviews. Critics say HBO's adaption of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is the best thing on TV. Here are five reasons why the drama – which is Sky Atlantic's highest rating show - has become a sensation:
The British love fantasy: Game of Thrones shouldn't be seen as a "surprise" hit, says Ed Cumming in the Daily Telegraph. After all, the Brits love fantasy. "Our nation after all has been raised on childish versions of fantasy, from Narnia to Hogwarts to Wonderland", he writes. But Game of Thrones doesn't just portray a fantasy world – a "grim brutality" informs the struggle between warring families to rule over the fictional land of Westero. The resulting drama attracts "housewives and historians, as well as the expected men with beards".
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