Game of Thrones Season 4 Premieres 6 April

HBO has announced that Game of Thrones will return on 6 April and that fans can expect a first look at the season ahead this coming Sunday, 12 January.

The insanely popular show based on the fantasy novels of George R. R. Martin averaged an audience of five million in the US over the course of its third season last year.

Season 4 will cover the second half of the third book in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords.

A trailer for the series starring Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Charles Dance will air before HBO's upcoming mini-series True Detective, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

Joining Game of Thrones on the channel's upcoming schedule is the return of The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci's Veep – a US translation of his political satire.

Despite the popularity and critical acclaim Game of Thrones received in its third season the show was snubbed by the Golden Globes, which has its ceremony this Sunday.