The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus has bid farewell to his iconic Daryl Dixon character after 15 years. Initially appearing as a guest in the third episode of series one, he rapidly became one of the programme's most popular figures. Though originally auditioned for Merle Dixon, he was instead given the role of Daryl, a character specially written for him. Due to the enormous popularity of his character, he later returned for The Walking Dead : Daryl Dixon, which airs on AMC and Sky Max.