

'Game Of Thrones', starring Sean Bean, is now comfortably regarded as one of the finest shows on American television at the moment, but it's attracting attention as much for its amazing special effects and visual aesthetic as for its gripping storylines and suspense - it does lead to the question though of how much all of this costs, with a recent epic fight scene looking like more than a million bucks in its execution.

Well E! Online have done some digging, you'll be unsurprised to know, and with shooting taking place in countries as far as Iceland, Croatia and Northern Ireland it's unsurprising that they reckon an average episode of the show costs some $6 million. Rather a sizeable fee, although let's remember that the pilot episode cost a whopping $10 million. HBO clearly have burning holes in their pockets, something given more credence when you consider that Boardwalk Empire cost a whopping $18 million for its pilot episode with subsequent episodes costing more than $5 million each. Hearty.

'The Battle of the Blackwater' was a mighty spectacle indeed, and in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the series co-creator David Benicoff had to admit "we went pleading to Hbo for more money. We made our case why we needed the battle and they obliged." Given the ratings the show's been receiving, you don't blame them.