By James Hibbs

Published: Saturday, 20 August 2022 at 12:00 am


Game of Thrones fans are gearing up for the prequel series House of the Dragon, and if the original series is anything to go by they can expect not only dragons, spectacle and political intrigue but also some complex character arcs.

Whether it was Tyrion becoming hardened and drawn towards responsibility or Daenerys going from an innocent young woman to a tyrannical ruler, Westeros and Essos have always been places where people change dramatically over time.

Now, in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Ser Criston Cole star Fabien Frankel has confirmed that House of the Dragon will see this continue, claiming that his character will go on a “major” journey in season 1.

Frankel said: “Without giving too much away… I’ll put it this way – by the time you get to the end of the first season you won’t recognise the person you met at the beginning of it. I’m allowed to say that I think. I’ll find out later if I’m not!”

Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon.
HBO

At the start of the series, Ser Criston is the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. HBO describes him as having “no claim to land or titles” and stresses that “all he has to his name is his honour and his preternatural skill with a sword”.

In his interview with RadioTimes.com, Frankel also teased that the cast have “had conversations” about a second season of House of the Dragon with showrunner Miguel Sapochnik but stressed that “obviously things are so subject to change”.

He also said that Sapohnik “told me that I should hang out with one person in particular and I’m not going to say who that is obviously but he did say, ‘I want you and this person to spend some time together and get to know each other.’ So, yeah I’m excited to do that.”

Additional reporting by Morgan Jeffery.

House of the Dragon is available from 22nd August exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW – sign up for Sky TV hereCheck out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.