Exclusive Game Of Thrones

It's one of the biggest stars of the blockbuster HBO epic Game Of Thrones - the stunning scenery of Northern Ireland. While scenes have been shot in Iceland and Croatia - and new for Season Five, Spain - the 'motherlode' is quite definitely Northern Ireland, said location manager Robbie Boake.
HBO says some 750 people across Northern Ireland work on Game Of Thrones every day, whether through location, creation of costumes and weapons, set catering and even on plastering and carpentry apprenticeships. If you are lucky enough to visit Titanic Quarter's Paint Hall, now reserved full-time for Game Of Thrones, you will see everything from the Lannisters' luxurious quarters at Kings Landing to the looming Sept of Balor, where a number of ill-fated weddings have taken place, to the icy summit of The Wall - now rather the worse for wear following a wildling invasion.
You'd be in good company as the home of the Iron Throne has been visited by everyone from the Queen to rock band Nine Inch Nails.
There are even a few sets you mightn't have expected to find in chilly Northern Ireland, such as Daenarys's imposing Throne Room in baking hot Meereen and the bougainvillea draped courtyard where Sansa's wedding party took place.
An Armagh castle doubled as the King's Landing brothel, while Attical near Kilkeel portrayed Vaes Dothrak and Shane's Castle is home to the bridge where Brienne of Tarth clashed with Jaimie Lannister.
Up the coast at Magheramorne Quarry, Castle Black is still in good condition, complete with ravens' cages, walkways and halls, six years after construction.
"There's a lot of fantastic stuff in Northern Ireland and it's mostly within an hour and 15 minutes from Belfast which makes it geographically ideal," Robbie says. "It's very rich and natural and wild, with lots of different kinds of geography and vast differences in vegetation, from the Dothraki sea to moorlands to limestone cliffs.
"They're all very interesting, distinctive feeling environments - it's a nice jigsaw puzzle to play with.
"There's also a lot of antiquity that has been preserved, a lot of interesting things such as 200- or 300-year-old farmhouses that aren't even listed."
He waxes lyrical about the number of ruins that Northern Ireland can offer. The production team avoid going to places with a high influx of tourists, but there is still a wealth of suitable sites and more are being scouted all the time.