There are a select few TV shows that transcend genre and form to become almost universally adored.

In this second 'golden age' of television we're currently living through, there are several shows that have broken into this most coveted of groups: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos and, of course, Game of Thrones.

Now that the show's eighth and final season is on the horizon - its official air date is April 14 - GOT mania has picked up again in earnest, as if it ever really tailed off.

The thing about having made a show as successful and voraciously consumed as Game of Thrones, is that guarding the secrets of what will happen in the end is a task that requires an almost militaristic level of subterfuge and control. After all, even JK Rowling's Harry Potter books were not immune to being leaked - despite an intense level of scrutiny, the final book was leaked almost in its entirety just days before its official release.

However, the creators of Game of Thrones have done a stellar job thus far of keeping fans in the dark as to what's really going to happen when the show reaches its - undoubtedly drama-filled - finale.

This is despite certain cast members *cough* Sophie Turner *cough* apparently spilling the secrets of what happens in the end to people they know. She told W Magazine;

"I’m so bad at keeping secrets.

"I don’t think people tell me things anymore because they know that I can’t keep them. I’ve already told the ending of Game of Thrones to a few people. I was like, 'If you want to know, I’ll tell you.' But it’s people that I know, not random people. It's people that I know will keep the secret." 

I'm sure the creators of the show were pulling their hair out when they read that one, but it turns out that it's not only Sophie Turner who's been spilling the beans on how Game of Thrones will culminate. Kit Harrington says he's told his wife, Rose Leslie, how the show ends, "and she wouldn't talk to me for about three days".

What's more, Harrington revealed that she'd actually asked for him to divulge the secrets. What does this say about how the series will end? Your guess is a good as mine. In the same interview, Harrington spoke about the gloriously smug feeling of knowing how it will all conclude;

"It's quite nice walking around, which will only happen for a few months before everyone's seen it, knowing.

"I know and no-one else does. I know how it wraps up. Yeah, I think it's gonna be groundbreaking."

But is he happy with how it ends? Well, that's a tricky one to answer;

"It's a weird one to answer, that. I can't really answer whether I'm happy or not.

"I don't think it's about happy or sad really. I'm satisfied with what they did, but I don't know whether I'll be really satisfied until I see it."

Only time will tell whether fans will be satisfied with how Game of Thrones ends, but one thing is for sure: it's going to be a hell of a ride.

There are a select few TV shows that transcend genre and form to become almost universally adored.

In this second 'golden age' of television we're currently living through, there are several shows that have broken into this most coveted of groups: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos and, of course, Game of Thrones.

Now that the show's eighth and final season is on the horizon - its official air date is April 14 - GOT mania has picked up again in earnest, as if it ever really tailed off.

The thing about having made a show as successful and voraciously consumed as Game of Thrones, is that guarding the secrets of what will happen in the end is a task that requires an almost militaristic level of subterfuge and control. After all, even JK Rowling's Harry Potter books were not immune to being leaked - despite an intense level of scrutiny, the final book was leaked almost in its entirety just days before its official release.

However, the creators of Game of Thrones have done a stellar job thus far of keeping fans in the dark as to what's really going to happen when the show reaches its - undoubtedly drama-filled - finale.

This is despite certain cast members *cough* Sophie Turner *cough* apparently spilling the secrets of what happens in the end to people they know. She told W Magazine;

"I’m so bad at keeping secrets.

"I don’t think people tell me things anymore because they know that I can’t keep them. I’ve already told the ending of Game of Thrones to a few people. I was like, 'If you want to know, I’ll tell you.' But it’s people that I know, not random people. It's people that I know will keep the secret." 

I'm sure the creators of the show were pulling their hair out when they read that one, but it turns out that it's not only Sophie Turner who's been spilling the beans on how Game of Thrones will culminate. Kit Harrington says he's told his wife, Rose Leslie, how the show ends, "and she wouldn't talk to me for about three days".

What's more, Harrington revealed that she'd actually asked for him to divulge the secrets. What does this say about how the series will end? Your guess is a good as mine. In the same interview, Harrington spoke about the gloriously smug feeling of knowing how it will all conclude;

"It's quite nice walking around, which will only happen for a few months before everyone's seen it, knowing.

"I know and no-one else does. I know how it wraps up. Yeah, I think it's gonna be groundbreaking."

But is he happy with how it ends? Well, that's a tricky one to answer;

"It's a weird one to answer, that. I can't really answer whether I'm happy or not.

"I don't think it's about happy or sad really. I'm satisfied with what they did, but I don't know whether I'll be really satisfied until I see it."

Only time will tell whether fans will be satisfied with how Game of Thrones ends, but one thing is for sure: it's going to be a hell of a ride.