The Bill star Jeff Stewart looks worlds apart from his character PC Reg Hollis as he bundles up in a check coat and grabs a bite to eat in London
He’s well known for his portrayal of the loveable PC Reg Hollis for over 24 years in the TV police drama.
But Jeff Stewart looked almost unrecognisable on Sunday as he picked up a sandwich and tomato soup from a deli in Hampstead, London.
The Bill actor, 64, displayed his wiry grey locks and silver beard as he wrapped up warm in a brown check coat and wandered down the high street.
Change: Jeff Stewart looked very different from his character PC Reg Hollis in The Bill as he picked up a sandwich and tomato soup on Sunday from a deli in Hampstead, London
He placed a green striped scarf around his neck while sporting grey trousers and khaki trainers.
The acting veteran kept a low-profile in sunglasses as he tucked into his delicious lunch.
Jeff stopped outside a local estate agents to window shop for new properties available in the area.
The Scottish native looked distinctly different from his lovable character Reg, who was Sun Hill’s police federation rep.
Outing: He displayed his wiry grey locks and silver beard as he wrapped up warm in a brown check coat and wandered through North West London
Keep it casual: He placed a green striped scarf around his neck while sporting grey trousers and khaki trainers
Though he didn’t appear in the pilot episode, he featured regularly from the first regular installment 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.
Tasty: The acting veteran kept a low-profile in sunglasses as he tucked into his delicious snack
Browsing: Jeff stopped outside a local estate agents to window shop for new properties available in the area
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.
Transformation: The Scottish native looked distinctly different from his lovable character Reg, who was Sun Hill’s police federation rep
Dedicated: Though he didn’t appear in the pilot episode, he featured regularly from the first regular installment onwards and appeared in a total of 872 episodes before being axed in 2008
Meanwhile, when pictures at the time emerged on the internet of him sporting a full beard, fans presumed he was still suffering depression.
However, Jeff defended his scruffy appearance as 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”.
Missed: 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
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.
THE CAST OF THE BILL: WHAT THEY DID NEXT
Graham Cole – Tony Stamp
Stalwart star Graham played PC Stamp for over 20 years.
He was written out the year before the show was axed, when he became a driving instructor instead.
He was written out because The Bill was being regenerated with a younger cast. This, however, led to its downfall.
Graham did return to acting, however, and was seen in the likes of Law & Order: UK, Doctors and Holby City.
He was also awarded an OBE for his continuing work with charities.
Mark Wingett – Jim Carver
Mark appeared as Carver 720 of The Bill’s 2425 episodes of The Bill.
He was already a known actor, featuring in the likes of Quadrophenia and The Professionals.
He had a two-year hiatus from The Bill but returned for the final episodes when the show ended in 2010.
He has since cropped up in the likes of Doctors and Hollyoaks and appeared in 2015’s big screen adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd, opposite Carey Mulligan, Juno Temple and Michael Sheen.
Chris Ellison – Frank Burnside
Chris played the volatile Burnside for 15 years on The Bill and proved so popular that he got a spin-off in 2000.
Titled Burnside, it saw him work for the National Crime Squad.
It only ran for one season, and aired six episodes.
He has since appeared in EastEnders, an audio play for Doctor Who, as a contestant on Pointless Celebrities and found himself on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 alongside Janice Dickinson, Jenna Jameson and Daniel Baldwin.
Jeff Stewart – Reg Hollis
Jeff is best known for his role as PC Reg Hollis in The Bill. The actor played the much-loved character for 24 years before the character was axed in 2008
Jeff ‘felt badly let down’ by the shock axing and later tried to take his own life.
But he overcame his mental health problems and has continued to act in roles in Crossroads, Doctor Who and Hi-De-Hi! He also appeared in killer crocodile sequel Lake Placid: The Final Chapter.
Trudie Goodwin – June Ackland
Ackland was the longest -standing female character on The Bill with Trudie fronting the role for 24 years from its 1983 pilot to 2007.
The character left the series when her relationship with Jim Carver came to an end.
From 2011 to 2015, she starred in Emmerdale as Georgia.
She also made headlines when it was revealed her daughter is the pop star La Roux.
Eric Richard – Bob Cryer
Appearing in 670 of The Bill’s episodes, Eric eventually said goodbye to the cop drama in 2004.
He appeared in Holby City afterwards and even cropped up in 2017’s Christopher Nolan epic Dunkirk, which starred the likes of Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy.
Off-screen, he suffered personal tragedy when his grandson Charlie was revealed to have been the youngest victim of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.
Diane Parish – Eva Sharpe
Diane played DC Eva Sharpe – the extrovert, out-spoken constable who was beloved by many and irritated by some.
She left The Bill after a short stint and joined the cast of EastEnders in 2006, where she has been a mainstay ever since, playing tough cookie Denise Fox.
She took time off the soap after having a baby but returned 18 months later.
She won the Royal Television Society award for Best Actress in 2001.
Roberta Taylor – Gina Gold
The character of Gold featured between 2002 and 2008, deciding to resign from the force after another character was held hostage. Before landing a role on The Bill, Roberta Taylor had roles on shows such as Inspector Morse, Minder, and The Knock, to name a few.
Prior to this, she was a regular face on EastEnders, playing Irene Raymond from 1997–2000. She went on to appear in Father Brown and Casualty, and cropped up in Luther last year.