Game of Thrones season four first pictures released

Emilia Clarke plays Daenerys Targaryen in the series, made by HBO

The first pictures from series four of TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones have been released.

The photos show various cast members, including Emilia Clarke, John Bradley, Peter Dinklage and Jack Gleeson.

The new series will be shown in the UK on Monday 7 April.

The storyline is adapted from George RR Martin's novels, A Song of Ice and Fire.

Season four will cover the second half of A Storm of Swords, the third volume in the book series.

John Bradley-West as Samwell Tarly

New cast members in season four include Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Joel Fry (Trollied, Plebs), Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Gangs of New York), Indira Varma (What Remains, Luther), Pedro Pascal (Homeland, The Good Wife), who will play Prince Oberyn Martell - aka The Red Viper and Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis.

Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis

The series is shot in Northern Ireland, Croatia and Iceland.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey as Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister

Directors for the fourth series include Michelle MacLaren, who worked on Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and The X-Files.

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon

Game Of Thrones was the most pirated TV show ever of 2013, according to TorrentFreak, with nearly six million people using file-sharing sites to download last season's finale.

Pedro Pascal and Indira Varma as Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand

A trailer for the fourth season premiered earlier this month, while a 15-minute special called Game of Thrones Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing will air in February on HBO in America.

Natalie Dormer and Diana Rigg as Margaery Tyrell and Olenna Tyrell

Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss, Gangs of New York's Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Homeland's Pedro Pascal are some of the names joining the cast for this season.

Sophie Turner and Peter Dinklage as Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister

Sky signed a new five-year deal for the exclusive rights to the entire HBO TV catalogue earlier this week.

HBO airs the season premiere of Game of Thrones on Sunday, 6 April in the US and it airs on Sky Atlantic a day later in the UK. It is also available on demand or on NOW TV.

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