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'Game of Thrones' star Jack Gleeson set for TV return after 6 years

Irish actor Jack Gleeson arrives for the "Game of Thrones" eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)        (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Irish actor Jack Gleeson arrives for the "Game of Thrones" eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Game of Thrones’ sadistic Joffrey Baratheon certainly left a mark on fans, but now the actor behind the role has a new part to play as Jack Gleeson returns to television six years on.

He's set to star in Sara Pascoe's upcoming comedy series, Out Of Her Mind, marking the first TV part for the Irish actor since leaving the fantasy epic in 2014 after Joffrey met his end.

After finishing up as the malevolent monarch on the HBO series, Gleeson announced his intentions to retire from acting as he had "stopped enjoying it as much as [he] used to".

Read more: Game of Thrones stars mortified over behind-the-scenes season one footage

Jack Gleeson starred as evil King Joffrey in Game of Thrones. (HBO)
Jack Gleeson starred as evil King Joffrey in Game of Thrones. (HBO)

He told Entertainment Weekly back in 2014: "When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It’s not like I hate [acting], it’s just not what I want to do.

After departing from the series, Gleeson said he would be pursuing an academic career path and went on to finish his studies.

The 27-year-old is part of an ensemble cast for the six-part programme which also stars Pascoe along with Juliet Stevenson, Cariad Lloyd and Scroobius Pip.

Jack Gleeson attends the "Game Of Thrones" Season 4 premiere at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on March 18, 2014 in New York City.  (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Jack Gleeson attends the "Game Of Thrones" Season 4 premiere at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on March 18, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Pascoe said of the series: “Out Of Her Mind is a direct expression of my mind. We’ve turned my brain into a theme-park, and everyone’s invited! The cast are INCREDIBLE and I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve made.”

While he may not have picked up TV work in the interim, Gleeson did continue to perform as part of theatre company Collapsing Horse which he co-founded with friends.

They brought puppet show Bears in Space to Edinburgh Festival in 2014 as well as Soho Theatre back in 2015.