‘House of the Dragon’ finale leak - HBO ‘disappointed’ for fans

House of the Dragon's season one finale has been leaked online just two days before it was due to air, with HBO saying it is "disappointed for loyal fans".

The last instalment of the debut series for the Game of Thrones prequel was due to air on Sunday night in the US and the early hours of Monday morning in the UK.

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But the episode has now surfaced online in a leak that has caused frustration for HBO, which has suggested that it appears to have come from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East or Africa.

The company said it was "aggressively pulling copies from the internet" so that fans could watch the episode premiere as it was meant to be seen.

An HBO statement read: “We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites.

“HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday.”

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This is the first series leak for the series starring Matt Smith and Paddy Considine, although Game of Thrones suffered many leaks - most notably, when hackers demanded a multi-million dollar ransom in exchange for not releasing the season seven finale.

Director Greg Yaitanes told Vanity Fair of the House of the Dragon finale: “If I have five things that I, in 30 years [of directing] am most proud of, this is absolutely on that list.”

House of the Dragon was confirmed for a second season after just one episode aired as it was such a ratings smash for HBO - in the UK, it was broadcaster Sky's biggest US drama launch and biggest Sky Atlantic series premiere ever.

Author George RR Martin backed further seasons to be adapted from his work, writing on his website: "It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish."

House of the Dragon's season finale airs on Monday at 2am on Sky Atlantic, repeated at 9pm.

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