The month in which Game of Thrones will return has been confirmed by HBO and Sky Atlantic.

After over a year of speculation, it’s been revealed that the Emmy Award-winning drama will return for its final season in April 2019.

HBO previously announced that season eight will premiere in the “first half” of 2019, with fans of the fantasy series narrowing down the release date to two possible selections, one of which landed on 28 April which is increasingly looking like the return date.

Following the confirmation, fans can officially begin the countdown to the final eight episodes of the cable network’s biggest ever show.

Teasing the final episodes, which will showcase the show’s most elaborate battle yet, co-executive producer Bryan Cogman said: “It’s about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death.”

HBO has a huge year ahead, with the end of Thrones ushering in a new era for the cable network.

New shows set to premiere throughout 2019 include the Jordan Peele/J.J. Abrams horror drama Lovecraft Country, Kathryn Hahn comedy Mrs Fletcher and a “remix” of Watchmen from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, whose acclaimed drama The Leftovers concluded on the channel in 2017.

How Game of Thrones characters have changed Show all 6 1 /6 How Game of Thrones characters have changed How Game of Thrones characters have changed Bran Stark How Game of Thrones characters have changed Tyrion Lannister How Game of Thrones characters have changed Daenerys Targaryen How Game of Thrones characters have changed Jon Snow How Game of Thrones characters have changed Sansa Stark How Game of Thrones characters have changed Arya Stark

Next year will also see the return of True Detective, starring Mahershala Ali and Carmen Ejogo, as well as Big Little Lies that’ll see Meryl Streep join the high-profile cast.