The Bill star Jeff Stewart, 67, continues to sport a very bushy grey beard as he looks
Jeff Stewart continued to show off his bushy grey beard as he headed shopping on Bond Street in London on Thursday,
The Bill actor, 67, best known for playing PC Reg Hollis, looked worlds away from his clean cut image on the police detective drama in his latest outing.
He once again showed off his very bushy grey beard and longer locks as he was spotted strolling around central London and window shopping.
Jeff, who appeared on the ITV drama from 1984 to 2008, cut a casual figure in yellow shorts and a blue shirt, which he styled with an olive sleeveless jacket.
He kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and framed his face with a pair of black square glasses.
Different: Jeff Stewart continued to show off his bushy grey beard as he headed shopping on Bond Street in London on Thursday, looking worlds away from his days on The Bill (right)
New look: The Bill actor, 67, best known for playing PC Reg Hollis, looked worlds away from his clean cut image on the police detective drama in his latest outing
He has been seen out-and-about with his different look in recent months, after telling how he grew his hair to distance himself from his The Bill character.
Jeff shot to fame as PC Reg Hollis in the soap in which he appeared for nearly a thousand episodes.
He starred alongside Graham Cole’s PC Tony Stamp and Mark Wingett’s character DC Jim Carver.
Though he didn’t appear in the pilot episode, he featured regularly from the first regular instalment onwards and appeared in a total of 872 episodes.
The star played Reg for 24 years, before the character was sadly axed in January 2008.
Speaking in 2011 about the decision, Jeff told The Sun: ‘I felt I had been badly let down.’
After hearing the plans from the show’s producers Jeff went back to his dressing room and still dazed by the news, attempted to take his own life.
Casual: He once again showed off his very bushy grey beard and longer locks as he was spotted strolling around central London
Laidback look: Jeff, who appeared in the ITV drama from 1984 to 2008, cut a casual figure in yellow shorts and a blue shirt, which he styled with an olive sleeveless jacket
Stroll: He kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and framed his face with a pair of black square glasses
Shopping: Jeff was seen leisurely strolling down Bond Street as he made the most of the sunny day
Shopping: Jeff was seen looking in shop windows as he walked through central London
As he began to black out, he changed his mind and rang the front desk for help.
Luckily he was found in time and was rushed from the studios in Merton, South West London to hospital.
‘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”‘, he added.
Jeff has previously told how his bearded appearance has been a way to distance himself from the clean-shaven Reg, with whom he had become synonymous.
He said: ‘I didn’t cut my hair for three years. It was a thought-out, deliberate choice.
‘I thought, “I have to look as different as possible”.’
Familiar face: Jeff shot to fame as PC Reg Hollis in the soap in which he appeared for nearly a thousand episodes
Flashy: Jeff was seen looking in the window of the Bentley showroom during his outing
Crowded: Jeff was spotted milling about the crowds during his latest outing
Strolling: He enjoyed a walk through central London and passed the Bentley shop on the sunny day
Exit: The star played Reg for 24 years, before the character (pictured in 2007) was sadly axed in January 2008, and he told how he felt ‘badly let down’ by the decision at the time
The Bill ran for a total of 26 years, with the popular series ending in 2010 after being axed – much to the dismay of staunch fans.
Though The Bill was his biggest role to date, Jeff has appeared in a number of other programmes including Crossroads, Doctor Who and Hi-De-Hi!.
He has also starred in independent films and won a Best Actor award for his role in Under Jakob’s Ladder at the Manhattan Film Festival in 2011.