Line of Duty Martin Compston passed by unrecognised as he filmed in Manchester with a new look.
The Scottish actor, who plays DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama, is in town shooting a new drama after Sunday night's gripping finale.
Arnott's beard was gone and the Scottish actor was sporting a cleaner shaven appearance as he walked through the Northern Quarter.
"Nobody recognised him because he doesn't have a beard anymore," said one onlooker.
Martin is filming the new TV crime drama Traces written by former Scott and Bailey and Coronation Street actress Amelia Bullmore.
Traces, which also stars BAFTA-winning Three Girls and Cheat actress Molly Windsor, follows three female forensic professionals as they bring a killer to justice.
The drama is due to be screened next year on freeview app UKTV's crime channel Alibi.
More than nine million viewers tuned into the final episode of Line of Duty series five on Sunday, making it the biggest overnight audience of 2019 so far.
And it's good news for fans because the BBC has already commissioned a sixth series from writer Jed Mercurio, who also wrote Bodyguard which drew 10.4 million viewers last September.
Line of Duty series five, which saw police anti-corruption unit AC-12 investigate a possible police collusion with hijackers of drugs transport, has had millions of viewers glued to their screens every Sunday night trying to work out the identity of the mysterious 'H.'
Line of Duty pays tribute to crew member who died in motorbike accident
Viewers have been surprised to learn that Martin, 34, is from Greenock, Scottland, after hearing him speak with a strong South East London accent in Line of Duty.
