The Bill's PC Reg Hollis unrecognisable with long grey hair in rare appearance
The Bill's Jeff Stewart looked unrecognisable with long grey hair and a bushy beard as he made a rare appearance whilst running some errands in London earlier this year. In his younger years, fans passing him on the street might have recognised him as PC Reg Hollis from much-loved ITV police drama, The Bill, however his new look gave nothing of his clean-cut character from the programme away. The actor was a fan-favourite on the show, having portrayed PC Reg for an impressive 24 years, but his more recent appearance was worlds away from Reg.
He was seen in London sporting flyaway hair and a long beard that grew out way past his chin. He sported a pair of tinted glasses and showed off his eclectic style in a bright yellow T-shirt, grey sweatpants and a checkered brown coat. Bringing some extra colour to the ensemble, he twirled a brightly-patterned umbrella as he sheltered from the rain.
The Scottish actor wasn't on The Bill from the very start, however, he entered the show early on, appearing in a total of 872 episodes. Despite his long 24-year tenure on the show, he was axed in 2008. Three years later, in 2011, he told The Sun: "I felt I had been badly let down."
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He was devastated after being told the plans by The Bill's producers - so much so that he attempted to take his own life in his dressing room. But as he blacked out, he changed his mind and asked for help, leading him to being rushed from the studios in Merton, South West London to hospital.
"I didn't see a counsellor," he told the publication. "It was evident I was OK and I never worried how it would affect my career."
He went on to add: "I thought, 'I have a choice, you can either stagnate or blossom'." Jeff also starred in Doctor Who, Crossroads and had roles in films such as the Lake Placid sequel The Final Chapter.
He also won a Best Actor award for his role in the independent film Under Jakob's Ladder at the Manhattan Film Festival in 2011.
Jeff has sported his more unkempt look for a few years now, and when fans first saw him, they worried he might be suffering from depression, however, the actor later described the choice as "well thought out" and "deliberate".
He said he didn't cut his hair "for three years", with his thought process being "I have to look as different as possible".
