Martin Freeman steps out in a striped T-shirt with a female companion in Hampstead

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 Hampstead, north west London, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Sherlock actor, 48, 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.

Martin 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.

The actor was also sporting a fairy thick salt ‘n’ pepper beard, which he appears to have established while under lockdown in recent weeks. 

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. 

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.

The contained nature of Bennett’s monologues allowed the opportunity to tell timely and relevant stories while following the latest government guidelines on safe working practices during the pandemic, the BBC have said.

Bennett added: ‘In such difficult circumstances, that the BBC should choose to remount both series of Talking Heads, and produce two entirely new ones, is a comfort and a huge compliment.

‘I hope a new generation of actors will get and give as much pleasure as we did twenty and thirty years ago.’ 

Filming took place at BBC Elstree Studios using existing sets and the BBC stressed that, ‘the Talking Heads production team are following the latest government guidelines to ensure that the series is made safely and responsibly’.