Game Of Thrones executive writer and producer, David Benioff has jumped into the debate over the longevity of the show, by saying that there is a ¡°ticking clock¡±.

This comes after the conclusion of the third season and the start of production for season four, with concerns being raised that the show might catch up with George RR Martin¡®s currently unfinished books.

Benioff said that there was a time limit on the show. ¡°There is a ticking clock here. We can¡¯t wait too long because of the kids. We have this wonderful cast, but we don¡¯t have an infinite amount of time¡­ we don¡¯t want to become a show that outstays its welcome and tries to turn each book into three seasons.¡±

Martin is working on the sixth book at the moment, titled The Winds Of Winter, and the possibly final novel, A Dream Of Spring while the show continues with its ¡°one-book-per-season¡± storyline mantra.

The third season was set to be the first half of book three, A Storm Of Swords, the largest in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, with season four to finish off the book. There are still two more books that have to be converted in television with including A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons.

The concerns is that Martin won¡¯t have the books finished in time, before the TV show catches up. Rumours have begun to pile up saying that the show runners, Benioff and D. B. Weiss will have to stretch out books four and five to give Martin the time to finish the upcoming novels.

While that is a possibility, being the A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons run alongside each other and there is plenty of material to be used, Benioff doesn¡¯t want to push the boundaries of the show and kill the ¡°golden goose¡±.

¡°Part of what we love about these books and the show is this sense of momentum and building toward something. If we tried to turn this into a 10-season show we¡¯d strangle the golden goose¡± said Benioff.

However, Martin insists that there won¡¯t be a problem, saying that the odds are in his favour.

¡°I think the odds against that happening are very long. I still have a lead of several gigantic books. If they include everything in the books, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to catch up with me. If they do, we¡¯ll have some interesting discussions.¡±