Why You Recognized the Banker on This Week's Game of Thrones

This week's episode of Game of Thrones reintroduced a character who fans haven't seen on the show since season five: Tycho Nestoris, a man who works for the Iron Bank of Braavos. Tycho is played by Mark Gatiss, and if you're currently questioning why the actor looks so familiar, it's because Game of Thrones isn't the only series you've seen him on. In fact, if you regularly watch a certain popular BBC series, you're likely already a fan of the British actor's.

He currently stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes's older brother, Mycroft Holmes. He's also been on a few episodes of Doctor Who, and he's currently in the midst of filming a miniseries called Gunpowder.

The character of Tycho Nestoris works for the Iron Bank, aka the richest and most powerful bank in Westeros: the bank that funds kings . . . and those who dethrone them. His character was introduced back in season four, when Stannis Baratheon and Ser Davos pay a visit to the bank and receive a loan, under the impression that Stannis would win the War of the Five Kings and provide a bigger return on the loan than the Lannisters.

Gatiss's return to Game of Thrones likely means that the Iron Bank will play a larger role in this season, since his alliance with Stannis clearly didn't work out too well. The preview for next week's episode appears to show Jaime bringing Cersei a ton of gold, so Tycho and the Iron Bank are likely going to stay loyal to the Lannisters. But only time will tell how things pan out in the remaining episodes.