Sean Bean has told how he ventured out in drag to prepare for his new TV role as a transvestite.

The actor, 53, appears on-screen wearing a blonde wig and make-up later this month in BBC One legal drama Accused, penned by Jimmy McGovern.

Asked how he prepared for the role, Sean told the Radio Times magazine: "By walking round in high heels in the kitchen at home ... and one night I went out ... arm-in-arm with my middle daughter."

The star said of going out incognito, in full gear: "I wanted to find out what it felt like, whether I'd be able to pull it off and have the bottle to function in that situation.

"I must have been pretty good, no pictures turned up in the press. Someone even complimented me on my shoes. I've still got four pairs of size-10 heels lying about my house. I forgot to give them back."

The Sharpe star said that the role of schoolteacher Simon and his alter-ego Tracie was "the most demanding" he had ever played, "partly because of the full body wax."

:: Accused begins on BBC One on Tuesday, August 14.

PA