Game Of Thrones
Kit Harington played Jon Snow, the King in the North in Game Of Thrones HBO

Jon Snow fans rejoice, because Game of Thrones heartthrob is to star in a mainstream television drama on BBC1's latest upcoming thriller, Gunpowder.

The former GoT star will follow in the footsteps of Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch by being the focal point of a small screen series to earn some extra points on the CV.

Harington – who won critical acclaim of his onstage portrayal of Hamlet in the RSC production – is playing out the story of Guy Fawkes and Co's infamous failed Gunpowder plot attempt of 1605.

And Harington isn't the only famous face in the three-part series, as he will be joined by Doctor Who's Mark Gatiss and Lord of the Rings' Live Tyler on screen. Gatiss stars as Chief Robert Cecil – head of torture to the Catholics – while Tyler plays his cousin Anne Vaux. She is the one person who is dubious about the whole idea.

Harington is set to play Robert Catesby, the man who was behind the treasonous plot and who originally planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. The story follows Catesby as he struggles with being a catholic man in a protestant England, resulting in him becoming almost financially, socially and psychologically ruined.

Robert Catesby Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot
Robert Catesby (1573-1605) circa 1600, one of the chief instigators of the Gunpowder Plot against James I of England, which also included Guy Fawkes. He was shot and killed while resisting arrest Hulton Archive/Getty

Following the death of his wife and father, Catesby begins to plan and carry out the Gunpowder Plot while looking after his young son. The historical thriller will delve into the history behind the evolution of the plot based on fact, with a sprinkling of salt for entertainment, and the challenges that the band of rogues faced while attempting to take down the British monarchy.

Led by Catesby and his gang, the plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England's Parliament as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which King James' nine-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was to be installed the Catholic head of state. A total of 13 men were involved, and Guy Fawkes – who had 10 years of military experience fighting in the Spanish Netherlands in suppression of the Dutch Revolt – was given charge of the explosives.

The BBC will begin filming the new drama shortly and no premiere date has been announced. We bet you a fiver it'll be on 5 November, however...