When I look in the mirror, I see only imperfections. I’ve long since got over the fact that I don’t look like Steve McQueen, but occasionally it pulls me up short. I also see age - lines, wrinkles and pigmentation.

I’m happy with things I can change, such as my hair and clothes. I like a good pair of jeans and I am influenced by the 60s, when men used to dress like men, not three-year-olds. I would not wear tracksuit bottoms, shorts, sandals or a vest. I like a well-fitting and bespoke suit by Mark Powell, Paul Smith or Richard James.

I am never going to be a gym person, although I did work out for The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - not to much avail, because I spent the film in a dressing gown. I have some muscle memory from being a kid, because I was a sportsman - or a sports boy.

Ten years ago, no one went to the gym, unless you were Sebastian Coe. Now we all have to look like Charles Atlas even when we are graphic designers. Our dads got fit the old-fashioned way, by putting up shelves or building walls. I eat well and walk a lot.

I am concerned with my appearance, but not vain enough to go to the gym or to have Botox. It’s a shock when you first become an actor and see yourself on screen: I hadn’t gone through life thinking I was God’s gift, but I always hoped I’d look great or have brilliant bone structure. Now I am happy being me, because no one else can do it.

- Martin Freeman
“What I see in the mirror” The Guardian