The sprawling Game of Thrones universe has produced another compelling offshoot, but this one takes a decidedly different path. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres on Monday 19 January at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, is a glorious grossout comedy that proves to be the franchise at its surprising best.
From Bleak Solitude to Comic Duo
The series opens not with epic dragonfire or courtly intrigue, but with a lumbering oaf taking a dump behind a tree. This is our introduction to Dunk, a so-called "hedge knight" of low status who cannot afford his keep and sleeps under the stars. Played with immense heart by former rugby union player Peter Claffey, Dunk is demonstrably dim-witted, penniless, and naive, mourning his recently deceased, alcoholic knight master who used to beat him.
The first episode unfolds on a featureless moor, following Dunk in his Beckettian solitude, talking to his three horses as equals. His simple goal is to reach a tourney—a jousting competition—to prove himself, but his nondescript lineage makes even getting on the ballot a challenge. The tone shifts when he acquires a squire: a bald, pubescent boy named Egg, played by Dexter Sol Ansell, who latches onto him at an inn.
A Classic Double Act in the Making
Together, Dunk and Egg form the equation for a classic comedy double act. Claffey, who looks like "Paul Mescal had a baby with Reacher," is the physically towering but often verbally outmatched half. The dynamic is hilariously established as Dunk tries to assert authority. "Don't run away or I'll hunt you down with dogs," he commands Egg. "Where will you get the dogs?" comes the faux-innocent reply.
The creators wilfully subvert expectations of grandeur. Scenes are punctuated by Dunk being called big, thick, or out of place by superiors, children, and random characters. He walks into a door frame twice. Yet, across its six short, tightly paced episodes, the series reveals a deeper game, judging deftly when to show its hand. What begins in coarse slapstick becomes a moving exploration of true nobility, survivor's guilt, and moral fibre.
A Rich, Politically Complex Meal
While not a sprawling dynastic myth like its predecessors, the series is deeply concerned with family, inheritance, and the rigid class system of Westeros. It reminds us that "any knight can make a knight," a lack of gatekeeping that leads highborn valiants to scorn their ignoble brethren. Fans of the great houses will still get thrills, with Daniel Ings chewing scenery as Lyonel Baratheon, and the Targaryens slithering into town in crisis, having misplaced a few sons.
This is Game of Thrones storytelling stripped back to its core: a rich, politically complex meal with sides of bone-snapping violence. It's a bold, joyful gamble that pays off, reminiscent of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi and closer in spirit to A Knight's Tale. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a testament to the franchise's versatility, proving that its world can be just as compelling when focused on the journey of an oaf and his boy squire as it is on battles for the Iron Throne.
