Game of Thrones season 6 release date might be later than expected

George RR Martin will likely be pleased as it gives him more time to finish The Winds of Winter

George RR Martin on the Iron Throne surrounded by past and present members of the Game of Thrones cast

Game of Thrones fans are fearing that their favourite TV show may return later than expected after HBO’s latest scheduling announcement threw the season six premiere date into question.

The US network’s official press release reveals that new Martin Scorsese series Vinyl will debut on 14 February and run until 17 April. The catch is that it will air in the usual Thrones time slot of 9pm on Sundays.

Past Thrones seasons have begun in early to mid April, with season three starting even earlier in March. The 2016 timetable suggests viewers won’t see season six until at least 24 April and quite possibly May.

HBO told The Huffington Post that the Thrones season six start date has not been confirmed and had no comment on how the scheduling of other shows may impact it.

One person likely to be rather chuffed about this is A Song of Ice and Fire author George RR Martin, who is battling to finish sixth book The Winds of Winter before the show spills all the spoilers.

Martin has been cancelling public appearances to focus on writing and earlier this month, a Polish translator confirmed that he had been asked by a publishing house to start translating the novel.

Despite all this, it’s hard to forget that Martin originally intended on having finished the whole eight-part series by 1998, so don’t hold your breath.