Game of Throne season 7: [Spoiler] all but confirmed to be returning

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Game of Thrones season seven has been filming over the last few months, with numerous spoilers about certain characters leaking online.

While many characters are known to be returning - Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Cersei Lannister - there are a couple who we’re still not sure about.

One of those was Benjen Stark. Played by Joseph Mawle, the character mysteriously disappeared past the wall in season one, the Night’s Watch believing him to be dead.

In season six, Benjen was confirmed to still be walking the earth, but not necessarily alive. Instead, through the HBO show, we now know George RR Martin’s Coldhands is actually Benjen, confirming the long-running fan theory.

Benjen’s presence in season seven has long been rumoured, with recent photos of Mawle alongside other cast members and fans in Northern Ireland confirming his appearance.

Meanwhile, in other Game of Thrones related news, HBO has confirmed talks over a spin-off series have commenced.

CEO Richard Plepner said of the discussions: "There might be some brand extension that would be exciting. It certainly has not escaped the producers.”

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that the remaining 13 episodes were to be split across two seasons with the next batch of episodes arriving later than usual in the summer of 2017.