FOR those who did not stay up into the early hours to watch the season premiere of Games of Thrones the wait will come to an end at 9pm.

And as the new season opens fans are already speculating what horrors could be in store for the Starks and the Lannisters

Looking back on the previous seven seasons, here are the most shocking moments so far in Westeros.

BRAN STARK PUSHED OUT OF THE WINDOW

One of the first moments to shock viewers came in the first episode, with Jaime Lannister - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau -pushing young Bran Stark out of a window.

The 10-year-old had caught Jaime and Cersei Lannister - the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but also Jaime's sister in an abandoned tower during their visit to Winterfell.

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THE RED WEDDING

Episode nine of the third season is commonly called the Red Wedding by fans for a very telling reason.

The penultimate episode of the season sees King Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn brutally murdered during a wedding banquet.

Lord Walder Frey betrays his allies by slaughtering the unarmed Starks, including pregnant Queen Talisa, after being persuaded to do so by Tywin Lannister.

The show had already gained a reputation for its shocking violence, but viewers were stunned by the bloodbath.

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THE PURPLE WEDDING

Another wedding scene ended in misfortune for Joffrey Baratheon

After his wedding to Margaery Tyrell , Joffrey is poisoned by wine from a goblet given to him by his uncle, Tyrion Lannister.

Using the last of his strength Joffrey points at Tyrion, seemingly believing him to be the culprit, before bleeding, choking and wriggling to death, purple in the face, giving the episode its nickname.

THE MOUNTAIN CRUSHES PRINCE OBERYN

In one of the show's most gruesome scenes, Ser Gregor Clegane - commonly known as The Mountain - gouges out Prince Oberyn's eyes.

The eighth episode of the fourth season sees the Dornish prince approach Tyrion and volunteer to be his champion in a trial by combat, hoping to avenge his sister

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JON SNOW STABBED TO DEATH

Season five ended with Jon Snow being stabbed to death by his own men.

The Lord Commander is labelled a traitor by several members of the Night's Watch, led by Alliser Thorne, Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck, for letting wildings past the Wall.As they stab Jon in the abdomen, they utter "for the Watch", and leave him to bleed and die on the snow.

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CERSEI BLOWS UP THE SEPT

Viewers were gripped by the season finale of the sixth series, which saw Cersei engulf the Sept of Baelor in green wildfire in an act of revenge against her enemies.

The explosion killed everyone inside, including her son King Tommen Baratheon's wife, Queen Margaery Tyrell. After watching the scene unfold from the Red Keep, where he had been forced to stay by The Mountain, the young king silently jumped out of the window and plummeted to his death.

Cersei doesn't kill all of her enemies in the fire, keeping Septa Unella captive in the dungeon and torturing her as retribution.