10 Most Disturbing Game Of Thrones Episodes

Whilst it has become a bit of an internet in-joke that Sean Bean dies in every film or show that he is in, no one expected that to be the case in Game of Thrones.

Much of the first season focuses on Ned Stark, the stalwart patriarch of the Stark family as he takes up his role as Hand of the King for Robert Baratheon. Ned grows suspicious that the children Robert and his wife Cersei have had are not his and are therefore not the rightful heirs. As it turns out, his suspicions are more than correct and the children are in fact the result of Jaime and Cersei's incestuous relationship.

Ned is unable to substantiate this claim however and following Robert's death, the petulant and cruel "son" Joffrey takes up the throne. Joffrey tells Ned he will drop the claims of treason against him if he admits to what he has done and publicly affirms that he is the rightful heir. Ned does this, however Joffrey decides to kill him anyway and he is beheaded in front of a large crowd.

This penultimate episode of the first series came as a huge shock to fans - or at least those who hadn't read the books. Ned was the likeable hero of the first series so to see him dispatched so ruthlessly after only a few episodes was deeply disturbing.