Aidan Turner looks unrecognisable from sex symbol Poldark days in grisly new Toast of Tinseltown role

AIDAN Turner won a legion of fans as hunky Poldark in the hit period BBC drama.

Thanks to his shirtless field scenes and sexy romps, the 38-year-old actor soon found himself the number one sex symbol.

However, in his latest role, Aidan’s chiseled abs and handsome features are disguised by a bushy beard, straggly hair and double denim.

Aidan stars in cult comedy Toast of Tinseltown alongside lead star Matt Berry as Barney.

In the surreal episodes, Matt’s character Steven Toast finds himself in the desert after flying to LA to find international fame.

Toast thinks he is filming a Western, but soon finds himself marooned in the desert with no sign of the crew.

But then Barney appears, and Aidan looks – and sounds – a world away from Poldark thanks to his Southern American twang and intense glare.

Gun-toting Barney was certainly sinister, getting Toast to head out across the desert to find a man who had failed to return with the deadliest rattlesnake in the desert.

Viewers couldn’t get over how different Aidan looked, with one writing on Twitter: “Binged on #Toastoftinseltown last night. Love the character names. Des Wigwam, Russ Nightlife, Bellender Bojangles. Wonderful. And was that really Aidan Turner?”

When a follower confirmed it was, they replied: “I didn’t recognise him!”

Another tweeted alongside a montage of pictures of Aidan in the role: “Good morning all! #FurryFriday..some #screencaps #Barney #ToastofTinseltown #comedy #surreal #crazybutfabulous he has the #crazylook to perfection.. #AidanTurner…have a great day #AidanCrew.”

Toast of Tinseltown airs on Tuesday at 10pm on BBC Two, with all episodes available now on BBC iPlayer.