Firm that provides security guards for Game of Thrones folds

The security guards that work on Game of Thrones are a tenacious bunch, and have been particularly active this season. Photos have been a little harder to come by than in past years (not that that’s stopped tenacious photogs from breaking through the firewalls), and the staff hasn’t been shy about confronting photographers when they get too close to the action, like when they shooed curious away fans from a set in Carnlough Harbour a couple of months back.

Security firm Select Management and Security Ltd has provided security services to the Game of Thrones production for several years, but according to the Belfast Telegraph, the company is closing its doors. Select appeared to have been doing well, and even pledged to add 40 jobs earlier this year, but there were cash-flow problems, and its 300 staff members are being transferred to other companies. Andrew McQuillan, who founded the company back in 2006, has been left with nothing.

Where does this leave Game of Thrones? Is there suddenly no security staff, leaving fans free to bum-rush the filming currently underway at Corbet (Riverrun) and about to kick into gear at Magheramorne quarry (the Wall)?

No such luck (not that people would do that anyway). “Ninety-five per cent of our work has gone over to G4S.” said a spokesman for Select. “Our full-time staff are now in employment with them.” G4S is a multinational security services company with operations in 125 countries, and has far more employees than Select did. As the largest security firm in the world, it’s kind of like Jewel-Osco to your independent corner grocery. G4S is now in charge of security for Game of Thrones, which might mean that, if anything, security will be even tighter than before.

Next: Game of Thrones returns to the Wall, and filming at Riverrun continues