After five decades of comedy, Lenny Henry trades stand-up for Middle-earth.

The 63-year-old has played a major role in two fantastic drama series, including the new The Lord of the Rings television series and as Balor, a druid in the latest installment of The Witcher series for Netflix.

The star, who was knighted in 2015 for service to the theater and charity, was pictured wearing flowing dresses, hair extensions and pointy ears on the set of The Witcher in Frensham Little Pond near Farnham, Surrey.

Lenny Henry in an advertisement for Premier Inn. Lenny can’t get away from his purple days

Created in the 13th century to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester and his court, and now managed by the National Trust, the pond and surrounding moorland also serve as the elven world for The Witcher: Blood Origin when monsters, men, and elves merge to become one.

“Sir Lenny certainly looked a lot different from his comedy days,” said one onlooker.

“It was a long day of filming and between takes he was talking and laughing with the other cast and production crew.”

The drama is a previous spin-off of The Witcher series, starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as the “witcher”.

Netflix producers are said to be on the hunt for a “big name” to take on the role of Balor – and Sir Lenny was revealed as their choice last month.

This isn’t the first fantasy role of the Comic Relief co-founder, who will star in Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings.

Filming for the show, based on the novels by JRR Tolkien, wrapped up in New Zealand over the summer. The following seasons will be filmed in the UK.

It’s unclear what role Sir Lenny plays in the series, which is slated for release in September next year. In the photo, Lenny Henry as Othello

Amazon is spending around £ 730million per series on its adaptation, which is said to be the most expensive show of all time.

It’s unclear what role Sir Lenny plays in the series, which is slated for release in September next year.

Sir Lenny – who rose to fame on New Faces in 1975 – has also appeared on stage in Shakespeare’s Othello and The Comedy of Errors, voiced a shrunken talking head in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and stars in commercials for Premier Inn.