A staggering 27.7million viewers tuned in last night to see Ashton Kutcher make his debut on hit US sitcom Two and a Half Men.

That figure was a record for network CBS, who of course fired the show’s former star Charlie Sheen – who played Charlie Harper – and hired Kutcher to fill the void.

Ashton stars as Walden Schmidt, an Internet genius who’s wealthy but unlucky in love.

In the opening scenes in last night’s new season premiere, at Charlie’s funeral, his neighbour and “part-time stalker” Rose explained how she and Charlie had run away to Paris, where Charlie had asked her to marry him.

However, the storyline continued that she found him in the shower with another woman, which the next day led to an unfortunate ‘slip’ at the Metro into the path of an oncoming train, where Rose said his body “exploded like a balloon full of meat.”

The PA adds, “The sitcom’s previous best viewing figures came in May 2005 following the final episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.”