The Outlaws, Stephen Merchant's brand new BBC comedy-drama began last, but it seems like everyone watching was distracted by the same thing: the appearance of Hollywood legend, Christopher Walken!
If you haven't caught the first episode, Christopher Walken plays Frank, a petty thief and fraudster who has just been released from prison and placed under house arrest with his estranged daughter, Margaret (played by Dolly Wells).
He's also been enrolled on the community payback scheme alongside the likes of Greg (Stephen Merchant), Rani (Rhianne Barreto), Christian (Gamba Cole) and John (Darren Boyd), and they've been tasked with clearing out a community centre in Bristol to serve their local community.
As the first episode had to introduce us to all eight of the main cast (plus their hilarious supervisor, Diane) we didn't get to spend too much time with Frank just yet, but his sly remarks and charm clearly left their mark.
Plenty of people watching couldn't quite believe that the BBC had landed such a big star for their new show, as he was singled out by so many fans as one of the big highlights from the first episode!
Christopher Walken in #TheOutlaws is everything i needed today 🤣🤣🤣 @BBCOctober 25, 2021
Surreal tv moment but what a cool treat seeing the legendary Christopher Walken on British tv #Theoutlaws #christopherwalken #bbc pic.twitter.com/cJ6MjRvZQDOctober 25, 2021
@BBCOne Great cast, but seriously, whoever was responsible for getting Christopher Walken on board is a genius. The guy is a legend 👏🏾👍🏾#TheOutlaws #BBCTheOutlawsOctober 25, 2021
😂😂 Already loving Christopher Walken in #TheOutlaws. pic.twitter.com/jk0iTaUVpvOctober 25, 2021
Enjoyed the first episode of the outlaws on @BBCOne last night topped off when you see Christopher walken appear and it's like "that's Christopher Walken in a BBC show" #TheOutlaws #stephenmerchant #christopherwalkenOctober 26, 2021
In our interview with Stephen Merchant, creator and star of The Outlaws, he shared the bizarre story of how he managed to land the veteran actor for his new comedy.
He told us: “We wanted an American actor of that status who’d bring glamour and then you reveal that Frank's just another seedy criminal.
"I flew to Connecticut to meet Christopher, and we talked for hours about the show. But the first thing he said was [does Walken’s drawl], ‘Would you… like some... of this… omelette?’ I’d just eaten but I stuffed it down. That sealed the deal for him!”
Although he's doing time, Frank clearly hasn't fully turned his back on a life of crime, as he stole the missing heat gun from the work site to lend to his daughter at home. There are five more episodes to come, so we can't wait to find out what trouble he and the rest of The Outlaws might get up to in the rest of the series.
The Outlaws continues next Monday at 9 pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
