Jeff Stewart, star of The Bill, pictured looking unrecognisable in London

The actor behind a beloved character from The Bill is sporting a drastically different look since leaving the UK series.

Scottish actor Jeff Stewart has been pictured looking a far cry from his straight-laced Police Constable days on The Bill.

The star, 67, who placed Reg Hollis for a whopping 24 years on the series until he was abruptly axed in 2008, is barely recognisable nowadays, spotted enjoying a meal in his civilian clothes in London this week.

Stewart, who was clean-shaven with slicked back dark hair in the ITV soap, is now sporting a bushy grey beard and long grey hair.

During the London outing, he was seen linking arms with a woman in a red hat, rocking a striking outfit of his own.

Jeff Stewart played Reg Hollis for more than two decades.

He’s looking quite different these days. Picture: Backgrid. s

The actor, 67, was seen arm-in-arm with a woman believed to be his girlfriend. Picture: Backgrid.

The Aberdeen-born actor wore a long cream coat, gloves and aviator sunglasses, finished with a Penguin Books tote emblazoned with the title of Jack Kerouac’s novel On The Road.

His companion wore a green velvet coat and tan scarf.

Stewart first shot to fame in the early 80s with a role in soap opera Crossroads, which was later followed by a part in Doctor Who in 1984.

But he is most well-known for playing the much-loved copper in The Bill, a character he took on for over two decades.

Stewart as Reg Hollis on the set of The Bill in 2006.

After appearing in a whopping 872 episodes, PC Reg Hollis was axed from the show in 2008.

Stewart has previously spoken about his unceremonious departure from The Bill, telling The Sun in 2011: “I felt I had been badly let down.”

After he was told he was going to be sacked, Stewart went back to his dressing room and was so distraught by the news he attempted to take his own life. The star had also been struggling with financial troubles stemming from a gambling problem.

Stewart was devastated to be axed from the beloved series.

He later told The Sun of the dark point of his life: “I didn’t see a counsellor, it was evident I was OK and I never worried how it would affect my career.

“I thought, ‘I have a choice, you can either stagnate or blossom’.”

Stewart went on to feature in films Dead Man Running (2009), Tomorrow (2010) and Under Jakob’s Ladder in 2011 – which earned him the award for Best Actor at the Manhattan Film Festival.

He also appeared in Lake Placid: The Final Chapter back in 2012.

– With The Sun

Originally published as Jeff Stewart, star of The Bill, pictured looking unrecognisable in London