Game of Thrones is celebrating its 10th birthday today but 11 years ago, when season one was shot in Malta, no one could have imagined it would grow into a global TV phenomenon.

The HBO mega-series soon had fans travelling across the world to visit filming locations.

At its humble beginnings, the source material was a popular novel series with a huge cult following. But beyond that, there was none of the hype later associated with the brand, the Malta Film Commission (MFC) said.

Most of the actors, with the exception of Sean Bean, were still relatively unknown. The same cannot be said of Jason Momoa, Emilia Clark and Maisie Williams today.

Fast-forward to the end of the eighth series, aired in 2019, and viewership had reached 207 countries, with 19.3 million people tuning in live for the final episode in the US alone, according to HBO. 

Today, the MFC can say Game of Thrones is possibly the one production, apart from Popeye’s Sweethaven, that puts Malta on the screen tourism map, much the same as Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand.

Its fans are so keen to visit locations of the series that Ireland, Iceland, Croatia, Spain and Morocco had all experienced a surge in tourism numbers and the phenomenon is ongoing.

On the Game of Thrones trail

Locally, Malta Film Tours capitalised on the trend, starting Game of Thrones tours in 2015 and watching them grow in popularity year after year, although bookings have dwindled more recently.

As time went by, the tours started attracting visitors who cared less about the series and more about the itinerary, managing director Malcolm Ellul said. 

Guests from all walks of life have ranged from babies to a 92-year-old veteran, diehard fans covered in Game of Thrones tattoos to visitors who have never watched an episode. They come from all over Europe as well as Australia and the US.

Such was the fans’ enthusiasm that themed events, such as scavenger hunts, complete with mounted guards, fire jugglers, archers and sword fighters, have also been organised.

“The series certainly helped put Malta on the radar of people who may have overlooked it as a holiday destination. I believe the impact is even greater than perceived and has long-lasting effects,” Ellul said.

“It would be great if the prequels came to life and even more amazing if they chose Malta again as a filming location.

No one thought much of it other than that it was a huge production

The Whole World is a Playground travel blog offers a guide to the 10 key local stops on a Games of Thrones tour to “recreate the magic”, saying they are a “must-visit for any fan”.

Malta was, after all, the original King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

Among the locations is St Dominic’s Priory, in Rabat, which featured as the Red Keep Garden in the seventh episode.

Others include Mtaħleb, Villa Bulebin, in Żebbuġ, Verdala Palace, Fort Ricasoli, Fort St Angelo, Fort Manuel and the Dwejra’s Azure Window, which sparked an environmental controversy when construction sand was strewn over fossil-rich stones.

Persuading the authorities to allow filming at places considered out of bounds was not a simple task, Oliver Mallia, whose film company, Pellikola, serviced the production in Malta, said.

He remembers that, for filming at San Anton Palace, only a couple of days of prep were allocated to turn its sizeable courtyard into King’s Landing, with plenty of ground cover, fake walls, large props and animals.

The crew had just 24 hours to miraculously reinstate everything in time for an important presidential function.

Mallia has bittersweet memories of the production, recalling it was “by far one of the toughest shows” he had ever managed.

He had to solve scheduling and location problems that arose due to the bad weather – October 2010 remains one the wettest on record.

The film’s connection to Malta is as strong as the link with other successful productions like Gladiator and Midnight Express, he said.

“Having such credits is important for a location and, although I do not necessarily think that, per se, they influence a producer’s or a director’s choice, they definitely prove that Malta can service high-profile productions.”

Mallia is surprised the series still generates great interest.

“Perhaps, it is also due to the fact that the first season is still regarded as one of the best of the whole run,” he said.

Small roles, big experiences

Game of Thrones spent around €5.5 million in Malta, with 200 crew working on the production for 39 shooting days in October and November and some 900 local extras.

No prominent roles were cast locally – just day players, Edward Said, local casting director for the pilot and first season, said.

“No one thought much of it other than that it was a huge production and was supposed to be recurring,” he said.

If it were not for the Dwejra issue, he added, it would have probably returned for the remaining seasons.

Alan Paris had a small role, describing it as fun, all the more so when it became such a cult series. “We had no idea!”

Paris’s character did not even have a name.

“I was Gold Cloak No. 1 and I think I had about five lines. I was totally covered in a beard and a very heavy guard’s costume,” he recalled.

“Once it was out and became so popular, I suddenly started receiving messages from people asking if it was me. There I was thinking I was unrecognisable!”

Paris had a short scene with a young Williams in her first professional role.

“I remember getting really embarrassed because I skipped or fluffed a line during a take and she corrected me.”

Now one of the biggest stars of the show, Williams was about eight at the time.

Edward Mercieca played the king’s baker in a scene where everyone was hurrying to the execution of the character played by Bean. A highlight of the one-day shoot was meeting author George R.R. Martin on whose books the show was based.

“I had no idea it would be so successful,” he concurred.

Game of Thrones is now headed to Broadway, with plans to bring key characters from the wildly successful cult series to the stage in 2023.