The highly anticipated new Game of Thrones prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has finally premiered on Sky Atlantic and HBO, captivating fans with its first steps into a different era of Westeros. The show, set roughly 90 years before the events of the original series, follows the humble hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall on a chivalric quest that could change his destiny.
A Fateful Meeting at the Inn
In the debut episode, which aired on Monday, 19th January 2026, viewers saw Ser Duncan travel to enter a tournament at Ashford Meadow, hoping to win fame and fortune. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he stops at an inn and encounters a young stable hand. This boy, who calls himself Egg, is an orphan who has recently lost his mother and works tending to horses.
Upon learning of Ser Duncan's tournament ambitions, the eager boy immediately asks to travel with the knight to Ashford and pleads to be taken on as his squire. Although Ser Duncan is initially reluctant, he eventually agrees to a provisional arrangement. Thus begins a partnership that will define the series, as the odd duo sets off together across a Westeros still firmly under Targaryen rule.
The Enigma of Egg's Origins
The premiere episode deliberately leaves Egg's true background shrouded in mystery. How did he come to be a stable boy? What secrets might he be hiding about his past? The show, based on George R. R. Martin's beloved Tales of Dunk and Egg, promises to explore these questions as the story unfolds, though book readers may already know the answers.
The official series description sets the stage: "A century before GOT, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg, wandered through Westeros while the Targaryen dynasty ruled the Iron Throne, and dragons were still remembered. Great destinies and enemies await the incomparable friends."
Meet the Actor Behind Egg
The role of the mysterious Egg is played by 11-year-old British actor Dexter Sol Ansell. Ansell stars opposite former rugby player Peter Claffey, who embodies the physically imposing Ser Duncan the Tall.
Dexter Sol Ansell is no stranger to major franchises. He previously portrayed a young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and appeared in the TV series The Midwich Cuckoos. His first television role was in the ITV soap Emmerdale, where he played Lucas Taylor from 2019 to 2021.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues its weekly release schedule, with new episodes airing on Mondays at 3am and again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and the NOW streaming service. The journey of Dunk and Egg has only just begun, and their quest for honour is sure to reveal more about the stable boy with a hidden past.
