For Sam Donaghy-Bell, there's a “void” now that Thrones has finished and he’s concerned about what comes next.

“It's scary now that it's not here. I would happily work on that show for the rest of my life,” he says.

But, regardless of what happens next, Sam, Stephanie McCutcheon, Ciaran Colton and many others have the experience of being Thrones "lifers" who worked on all eight seasons of the world's biggest TV show and have the tattoos to prove it.

Each carries an "8" inked in Thrones font and paid for by the show as a symbol of fellowship.

It's also a mark of quality.

“If, hypothetically, I was asked to do the next Bond or Avengers movie, I could do it no problem,” says Sam.

“The ways of working would be exactly the same as Thrones; the hierarchy would be the same.

“Because of Thrones, I've learned quicker.”

For Stephanie, Thrones didn't just open a door; it opened her eyes to what was possible. If you can see it, you can be it.

“I walked into that show thinking: 'I don't know any girl editors.' And there were two female assistants and two female editors. It changed my perspective.

“I got a really good footing with the other assistants and at the start I could see that they were only four years older than me – I could see that it's not that far away, that through Thrones I could get there really fast.”

“I'm very lucky. I've learned from the best.”

Ciaran Colton, meanwhile, hopes if his children Aoibhe and Manus can see it, maybe they can be it too.

“They might see me working in the film industry and decide to go for it. That’s the thing about the industry – there’s a role in it for everyone.

“Game of Thrones showed that to people. Gave them opportunities, jobs and skills they didn't even know they had. And confidence. I feel like I could work on anything. No job could be as tough as this job.”