Brand new E4 show Wasted – one of the year’s finest comedies – began with two back-to-back episodes last night. And while its makers may have been hoping watercooler discussion centred on the show’s neat bringing-up-to-date of Spaced‘s late-1990s surrealism, you can’t ignore the fact that the limelight was stolen by Ned bloody Stark!
Yes, he may have been (SPOILER ALERT) prematurely executed early on in the Game of Thrones, but in E4’s slacker comedy, Sean Bean (who played Stark) appears as a cloaked – and thinly veiled – spirit guide for the hapless character Morpheus, and by all accounts he’s totally owning the show.
Read more: Everything We Know About ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season Seven
Set in a small West Country town, Wasted finds Morpheus (Danny Kirrane), Alison (Gwyneth Keyworth), Sarah (Rose Reynolds) and Kent (Dylan Edwards) do what most bored 20-somethings do in rural England: drink and take drugs.
One scene sees Bean giving Morpheus some tough love and a gruff ‘wake-up call’ with a slap, while another particular brilliant moment showcasing Bean’s comedic chops as he refuses to be coaxed into completing his characters’ immortal ‘Winter Is Coming’ line. Speaking to Digital Spy, Kirrane praised Bean for his witty off-the-cuff quips. “He even improvised. I found it really hard not to laugh when I did any of the bits with Sean. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything else like this – but he took to it like a duck to water.”
We bet Sean Bean gets this all the time… #Wasted #GameofThrones @DannyKirranehttps://t.co/BlmKFMDn02
— E4 (@E4Tweets) July 26, 2016
Fans have been undoubtedly won over by the actor’s deadpan delivery and sharp backchat.
Second episode was even better than the first. Trying to get Sean Bean to say winter is coming. And the mixed race biscuits ??? #Wasted
— Ogogo Is Ogogo Backwards (@nathctml) July 27, 2016
OK #Wasted on #E4 is all kinds of brilliant. Big nod to Spaced, very funny, and actual sweary Sean Bean is in it as himself. Excellent!
— Just Like Pidgeon (@Pidgers28) July 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/afinc/status/758053756185509888
If Sean Bean was my spirit guide I'd be soooo happy. #Wasted #GiffGaffE4
— Craig ⓒⓣ Thurston (@CtTweets08) July 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/ArsonistsChoir/status/758042320226938880
Let’s just hope he lasts longer in this show…