Game of Thrones season 4 UK air date: Sky Atlantic to simulcast with US in middle of night

First episode will be shown at 2am on Sunday night

The return to Westeros will come sooner than expected for UK fans (HBO)

Game of Thrones fans won't have to wait a second longer for the arrival of season 4 than US viewers, with Sky Atlantic announcing that the first episode will be simulcast at 2am on 7 April.

UK channels are always fighting to get imported shows as soon as possible after their US broadcast, but usually there's a wait of at least a day.

Sky Atlantic will bring the HBO series' return in the middle of the night on 7 April however, coinciding with the US East Coast airing.

Episode 1 goes out at 9pm ET on Sunday 6 April in the US, meaning it will be shown at 2am on Monday 7 April in the UK.

Trailers for the new season have been coming thick and fast in recent weeks, teasing new characters like Oberyn Martell and generally bringing plenty of vengeance and doom.

"If you want justice, you've come to the wrong place," Tyrion Lannister is heard saying in one clip, while Daenerys Targaryen declares of her enemies: "They can live in my new world, or they can die in their old one."

There are spoilers abound with this show given that its source books by George R.R Martin are miles ahead of its timeline, with it emerging earlier this week that one teacher has been using spoilers as a threat to keep his students quiet.