Tamsin Greig has revealed people do not hold back when they recognise her in public places.

The former Black Books and Green Wing star has told some humorous anecdotes of encounters she has had with fans while going about her everyday life.

Greig, 51, has had a long-standing reoccurring part as Debbie Aldridge in BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.

She told The Graham Norton Show that regular listeners of the programme readily share their opinions on her performances when they speak to her.

Graham Norton Show – London
Orlando Bloom, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Merchant during filming for The Graham Norton Show (Isabel Infantes/PA)

She said: “I don’t know what it is, but people think they can say anything to me.

“The other day someone said, ‘You’re much better at acting than you used to be!’.

“And, when I was heavily pregnant I was shopping for paint. I was down on all fours looking for the colour on the bottom shelf and the only thing you could see of me was my very big pregnancy bum.

“Someone came up to me and said, ‘Well, if it isn’t Debbie Aldridge!’.

“Another person said, ‘I love you in The Archers. You pause so well’.

“So, I thought, ‘You think I am at my best when you can’t see me and I am silent!’.”

The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday at 10.35pm, on BBC One.