There are four times as many instances of rape in George RR Martin's Game of Thrones novels than there are on the HBO show – and the way in which the books portray sexual violence is arguably more insulting to women than in the television series.

A recent statistical analysis, by a Tumblr-user named Tafkar, calculates that, to date, there have been 214 acts of rape in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series (the inspiration behind the television series), and 117 rape victims.

In contrast, on the show, there have been 50 acts of rape, and 29 victims. (A comparison between a 1,7770,000-word book series and just under 50 hours of TV might seem hard to make in some ways, but it is worth noting that, story-wise, by the end of season five both the books and the show will be at a similar point.)

A controversial recent Game of Thrones storyline saw elder Stark daughter Sansa (Sophie Turner) raped by her new husband, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon).

The scene in question, which occurred during the end of the episode Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, was condemned by many fans, with one online outlet, the feminist entertainment blog The Mary Sue, announcing its intention to immediately cease all promotional coverage of the show.