Charles Dance has thrown his support behind Tyrion Lannister to emerge as king of Westeros.
The veteran actor, 72, played Tywin Lannister in Game Of Thrones but was killed off by the HBO series’ showrunners at the end of season four.
Dance, who will debut as Lord Louis Mountbatten in the third series of Netflix’s The Crown, said he hoped the eighth and final chapter would end with the diminutive character atop the Iron Throne.
Asked who he thought would secure the crown, he replied: “I have no idea. They’ve been very good, all of them, nobody is dropping any hints, at all.
“If you ask me personally who I would like to see, I would love to see little Tyrion sitting on the throne.
“Because he’s such a wonderful character and Peter Dinklage is one of the most delightful people you could ever meet.”
Dance plays Martin Benson in The Widow, the godfather of Kate Beckinsale’s lead protagonist Georgia Wells.
But it is a rare turn as a good character in a career dominated by steely politicians and cold-hearted villains.
He said: “I’ve tried to bring the changes as much as I can, but if you’re seen to be doing something reasonably well, odds are you’ll be asked to do it again.
“As long as the characters are three dimensional, villains tend to be more fun.
“But yeah, it’s certainly nice to be asked to do something that isn’t particularly villainous.”
He added that Game Of Thrones fans often asked him for selfies, with some demanding he recite his on-screen clan’s famous phrase ‘The Lannisters always pay their debts’ on camera.
The Widow continues Mondays and Tuesdays, 9pm on ITV