A star best known for his period costume, including dapper suits, and his passion for race car driving, will transition from high society figure to sorrowful detective in a new drama. Dept Q, which is available for streaming from Friday, details the life of a detective battling with PTSD as he tries to solve cold cases from a depressingly damp and dingy basement.

That detective, Carl Morck, is played by none other than Matthew Goode, who played the dashing Downton Abbey favourite Henry Talbot - best known for being the fictional husband of Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery). He turned down the chance to appear in the third Downton movie, as it conflicted with his filming commitments for Dept Q, but told Radio Times afterwards he was glad his days as Henry were done, quipping: "Let's face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce!" However, a decade later, the dishevelled beard he sports in his new role means even long-term fans might struggle to recognise him.

The British-born star has also had a huge range of other roles, even making his mark in

For example, he stood out in as high society photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, while he played the 1st Earl of Snowdon in season two of the biographical drama series.

He received an Emmy Award nomination for the latter role, after being praised in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category.

Several years ago, he even dabbled with the vampire fantasy genre when he appeared in A Discovery of Witches.

He even played opposite huge US pop star Mandy Moore in Chasing Liberty, when he channelled a British spy protecting a runaway First Daughter from inevitable danger.

Meanwhile, he might not be Hollywood's biggest name thus far, but he impressed alongside in the war thriller Allied.

Matthew has clearly come a long way since his debut on the acting scene, with a role in the 2002 TV film Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

Now, 23 years on, he's tackling the compelling Dept Q series, based on the original series by best-selling Danish crime writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, who has sold more than 27 million books in his time.

Fans might not recognise his face now that he has a tousled beard - but they're sure to rate his acting as they gradually get accustomed to seeing the new version of him.