It has gripped an ever-growing army of fans across the world with its epic battle scenes, racy plots and, of course, dragons since first gracing our screens in 2011.

And as the final season of Game Of Thrones premieres next week, more viewers than ever are set to tune in, eager to find out the latest twists and turns in the fight for the coveted Iron Throne.

More than one billion viewers in 170 different countries are expected to watch each episode in the final season - which kicks off on April 15. 

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Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, attends the Game Of Thrones season eight premiere on April 03 in New York City

It comes after records were smashed by season seven finale The Dragon And The Wolf - which saw a magnificent display of firepower as a dreaded White Walker dragon destroyed the Wall at Eastwatch.

The episode was watched by 16.5million people in the US when live and streaming figures are combined.

Even the sixth season finale, which saw Jon Snow declared king of the north, mustered 8.9million live views.

More than one billion viewers around the world are expected to tune in to the hotly-anticipated final series of Game of Thrones when it airs next week

The show is expected to be seen by more than one billion across 170 countries

It is also one of most pirated TV shows in recent years, so figures may be higher

The final series, season eight, is to air from April 15 after a two-year hiatus