Kit Harington still hasn't watched the final season of Game of Thrones: 'That's how I dealt with the controversy'

Actor has consistently defended the final season amid backlash from disappointed fans

Kit Harington has revealed he still hasn't watched the eighth and final series of Game of Thrones.

The actor, who starred as Jon Snow in the hit HBO show, spoke with reporters backstage at the Emmys on Sunday 22 September, where he was asked about the strong backlash to the final season.

"I still haven't seen the show," he told Entertainment Tonight. "So that's how I dealt with that controversy. I haven't seen the final season."

He continued to defend the programme, commenting: "I know what it took to shoot it and it was hard and everyone put their love and effort into it. I think for us, we knew what we were doing was right, story-wise. And we knew that it was right for the characters because we lived with them for 10 years. So the controversy, for us, didn't really affect us."

Over a million Game of Thrones fans signed a petition to remake the final series with new writers, after criticising the direction David Benioff and DB Weiss had taken the show.

Despite the backlash, it received a record-breaking 32 nominations at the Emmys, including Harington for Best Actor in a Drama. However, it ultimately won just two, for Best Drama, and Best Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage).

Read Adam White's comment piece about Game of Thrones at the Emmys here.