Wondering Where Your Colleagues Are This Morning? They’ve All Called In Sick To Watch Game Of Thrones

In case you haven't heard, Game Of Thrones eighth and final season premieres today. But despite waiting over a year for the conclusion of the insanely popular HBO show, it seems British fans can't hang on until 5pm to find out who is going to end up on the Iron Throne.

If you're casting an eye around your office this morning wondering if you got the Easter bank holiday dates wrong (don't worry, it's this weekend) or if there was an offsite meeting someone forgot to invite you to, you're not alone. According to a study from Culture Trip, 3.1 million people across the country are expected to be faking a sick day today to catch the first episode.

With episode one of the new season premiering in the UK on Sky Atlantic today (if you didn't get the memo about that mysterious office bug that's been going around and are reading this from your desk, you can catch up on NowTV as soon as you clock off) at the same time as it's screening in the US on HBO (that's the very convenient hour of 2am this morning here in the UK), it looks like Lauren in sales hasn't come down with the flu, she's just desperate to avoid spoilers.

Take a look at how the cast's style has changed from the 2013 to the 2019 Game of Thrones premiere:

If you're sitting at your desk trying to decide who to have lunch with when your work wife is out for the day, it might be worth booking out a meeting room and catching up on the first seven seasons in just a few hours.

And if you're a boss dealing with a higher than normal number of absent employees today - it might be the right time to ask for a doctor's certificate.

Reading this from home while you battle the "flu"? Watch Game Of Thrones Season 8 Episode 1 here.