‘Game Of Thrones’ star Emilia Clarke has promised that the sixth season of the medieval fantasy drama will be bigger and more exciting than ever before, but revealed that filming it “legitimately almost killed” the cast and crew.

The HBO series will be returning at the end of April, with Clarke starring once again as Daenerys ‘Mother of Dragons’ Targaryen, in the next adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of epic novels. The plotlines are probably the most closely guarded secret in the entertainment industry at the moment, particularly as the timeline will overtake where Martin has actually gotten to with his books.

Emilia ClarkeEmilia Clarke spoke a little about 'Game of Thrones' season 6

However, various stars such as Kit Harington – who plays the possibly deceased Jon Snow – have been dropping a few hints about what direction the sixth series might take. He recently said that Snow is definitively “dead”, but has been spotted on set in the past year – obviously, he could be appearing in flashback sequences, but it keeps the question open for the series’ fans.

More: British actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Emilia Clarke make Forbes’ ’30 Under 30’ list

Speaking to E! Online at the SAG Awards at the weekend, 29 year old Clarke was asked about the forthcoming episodes and spoke a bit about what to expect. “Legitimately, this season almost killed us. Like, it is epic, it is huge, it’s insane, it’s silly,” she said.

Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, also said recently that her character will be getting a bit more attention than in the past.

“She really commands the respect that she deserves and she grabs hold of it and she runs with it and it’s really good,” she told Entertainment Weekly a few days ago. “Sansa is finally getting that storyline that you’ve been craving for the past five seasons.”

April 24th sees the return of ‘Game of Thrones’ on HBO in the US, with the first episode of season six broadcast on Sky Atlantic in the UK the following day.

More: ‘Game of Thrones’ is most illegally downloaded TV show of 2015