HBO Max sends an eight-metre dragon soaring over London

House of the Dragon returned in striking fashion as a giant dragon swept across the London skyline above the Tower of London to launch the series’ third season on HBO Max.

The stunt, by Electric Sheep Events, saw an eight-metre flying model of Syrax, one of the show’s most recognisable dragons, brought to life using production scans from the series.

Created by German aeronautics firm Airstage, the model featured 23 moving parts designed to recreate the creature’s movements on screen.

Weighing 13kg, the dragon took three months and almost 3,000 hours to build.

A 14-person team used vacuum-formed foam, carbon fibre and aluminium to create the structure, before adding detailed airbrushed finishing touches.

Built-in impellers concealed within the legs helped deliver a more lifelike flight.

Following the display, guests attended an evening reception hosted by Harriet Rose, with cast members Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, Clinton Liberty and Abubakar Salim among those in attendance.

Nils Schlenther, chief operating officer at Airstage, described the project as one of the company’s most intricate flying models, explaining that the team spent months refining the dragon’s movement and carried out more than seven test flights to capture Syrax’s on-screen behaviour.

The activation celebrates the return of the fantasy drama, with the new eight-episode season launching today and new episodes airing weekly through to the August finale.