Martin Freeman displays his new lockdown beard as he steps out on a stroll with a female companion

He is set to star in a new series of Talking Heads which starts next week. 

And ahead of the premiere, Martin Freeman was pictured out and about with a female companion in north London on Wednesday afternoon.

The Sherlock actor, 48, who is typically clean shaven, was sporting a fairy thick beard, which he appears to have established while under lockdown in recent weeks.

Martin opted for a bold look as he sported a stylish blue and yellow striped T-shirt and a pair of wide-legged jeans for his outing. 

He teamed his outfit with a pair of yellow Vans and maroon socks, while carrying a jacket in his arms in case of a sudden downpour.

Meanwhile, his unknown female pal looked seriously chic in a pale green blouse which she teamed with a pair of form-fitting leggings and boots.

She wore a soft touches of make-up and swept her curly brunette locks up into a high ponytail, while carrying her belongings in a black and tan handbag.

Martin split from his ex-wife and Sherlock co-star Amanda Abbington in 2016, after 16 years together. The former couple share two children, Joe, 14, and Grace, 11. 

Amanda revealed in her candid interview that she kept her high-profile break up a secret for six months and that she and Martin just couldn’t live with each other anymore.

Talking to the The Sunday Timest magazine, she said: ‘When we broke up nobody knew, we didn’t tell anybody except for a few key people because they had to know, because of the logistics of hotels and stuff.’

‘We still get on really well, we still really both admire each other as actors… he’s a great guy, but we just couldn’t live with each other any more.’ 

Their appearance comes after the first look at the remake of Alan Bennett’s masterpieces, Talking Heads, was revealed.

The monologue series, starring the likes of Martin, Jodie Comer and Imelda Staunton will debut on BBC One with a double-bill on Tuesday 23 June – 22 years since the second series aired and 32 years since the first.

Martin, who will star in A Chip In The Sugar, originally performed by creator Alan Bennett in 1988, pose as his character Graham in new stills from the show.

The star wears beige trousers with a blue zip-up top as he poses in an 80s-decorated room.  

In April it was announced that the BBC were remaking Alan Bennett’s monologue masterpieces, Talking Heads.  

The iconic monologues featured major actors such as Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Patricia Routledge and the writer himself, Bennett, and was later adapted into a stage play.

The BBC have remade ten of the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning monologues, with the addition of two new pieces written by Bennett last year. 

The BBC’s decision to bring back the series – which debuted in 1988 with a decade-long gap before Talking Heads 2 aired in 1998 – is in part down to the current COVID-19 crisis, with the theme of isolation heavily featured throughout.

With the UK in lockdown, and production on many series halted, the minimal cast and crew required for Talking Heads has encouraged the BBC to start the remakes.