Game Of Thrones Is Back

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

The wait is finally over. The highly anticipated fifth season of Game of Thrones premieres today on Foxtel’s Showcase: fast-tracked from the US at 11 o’clock in the morning (and then re-screened at 7:30 PM tonight).

However some fans have proven a little too eager to get their hands on the new season. The first four episodes were illegally leaked online just hours before it was set to air in the US and here. The leaked episodes were downloaded more than 100,000 times in just three hours.

The Emmy-nominated series is already the most pirated TV show in world, and since the landmark Dallas Buyers Club case on Tuesday, this leak will no doubt add to the debate surrounding illegal downloads in Australia.

Creator HBO said in a statement that the leak was not a cyber hack, but“originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them.”

In more positive Games of Thrones news, some new faces joining season five include Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and New Zealand-born actress Keisha Castle-Hughes (Star Wars: Episode III), who stars as one of the fierce ‘Sand Snakes’ assassins.