Charlie Sheen praises Ashton Kutcher

Charlie Sheen has hailed Ashton Kutcher's first appearance on Two and a Half Men as the "best" TV entrance ever.

The actor reportedly told close friends he liked the way Ashton - who replaced him on the programme earlier this year after he was sacked over his erratic behaviour - "was revealed through the dusty exploded smoke of my remains".

Ashton's billionaire alter-ego Walden Schmidt made his debut appearance on the first show of the new series - which aired on CBS on Monday - following the funeral of Charlie's character Charlie Harper, who died when he was hit by a Paris subway train.

Walden turned up naked at the home of Charlie's brother Alan Harper - played by Jon Cryer - who was so shocked by seeing him in the nude he dropped an urn carrying the late character's ashes.

According to website TMZ, Charlie told friends: "I thought it was the best intro for a new a character on a TV show of all time."

Meanwhile, Ashton has revealed his predecessor was axed from the show after show creator Chuck Lorre suggested he got help for a "bad addiction problem".

Charlie refused, leading to him launching a series of personal rants against the co-creator, including referring to him as a "clown".

He told Australia's 2DayFM: "Chuck felt Charlie had a bad addiction problem and thought that his friend was going to die and basically did an intervention and said, 'You need to get help because I don't want you to die because I love you and you're my friend.'

"But Charlie refused to go get the help that Chuck felt he needed and it all blew up from there.

"I think there will be a point in time when Charlie looks back and realises he had a friend."

-BANG! Showbiz