HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones (GoT) has kept the viewers hooked not only because of its plot twists but also with some interesting facts that are as fascinating as the main plotlines.
Check out some amazing facts about Game of Thrones below.
Show got banned by the Turkish military
In 2014, the most watched and most pirated show was banned by Turkish Army (TSK) because of its nudity, violence and complex storyline. Along with several other shows, GoT was also banned to protect the young people against "sexual exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, abuse, harassment and all negative behaviours."
George Bush's head on a spike
Before US President Donald Trump's fake severed head, it was George W Bush's severed head that made the news. The fantasy drama displayed the prosthetic head of the former President in one of the episodes. This caused outrage and HBO had to apologise for the scene.
"We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste," HBO said in a statement. "We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologised immediately for this inadvertent, careless mistake. We are sorry this happened and will have it removed from any future DVD production."
The Purple Wedding was also based on real-life incident
The Purple Wedding episode in season four, which featured KingJoffrey and Margaery Tyrell's wedding, was also based on a historical event.
"I based it a little on the death of Eustace, the son of King Stephen of England," Martin explained it to Entertainment Weekly. "Stephen had usurped the crown from his cousin, the empress Maude, and they fought a long civil war and the anarchy and the war would be passed down to second generation, because Maude had a son and Henry and Stephen had a son. But Eustace choked to death at a feast. People are still debating a thousand of years later: Did he choke to death or was he poisoned?"
Maester Aemon's actor was partially blind
Peter Vaughan portrayed the role of blind old Maester Aemon Targaryen on Game of Thrones. He was partially blind in real-life like his character. He passed away last year.
Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister love triangle
The author of the fantasy drama, George R.R. Martin, had initially planned to feature a love triangle between Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister.
"Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while he's at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow," Vanity Fair quoted an excerpt from Martin's letters.
"[Arya] realizes, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night's Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon's true parentage is finally revealed in the last book."
The Walk of Shame inspired from real-life incident
Cersei Lannister's walk of shame in the season five finale was based on the real-life incident. Cersei walking naked through the streets was one of the cruellest episodes ever, but it was inspired by a real-life case from Medieval Britain.
"Jane Shore, mistress of King Edward IV, was punished that way after Edward died. It wasn't a punishment ever inflicted on men. It was a punishment directed at women to break their pride. And Cersei is defined by her pride," Martin explained in an interview in 2011, according to The Telegraph.
Real-Life replicas of the Iron Throne were sold by HBO
In 2013, HBO and Firebox teamed up to sell the full-size replicas of the Iron Throne, which was made of fibreglass and fire rated resin. The throne was sold in the UK for £20,000, but they later stopped selling it.
"We don't sell the Game of Thrones Replica Iron Throne anymore, sorry! We did once and we had fun. But we've moved on. These things happen," Firebox's website said.
