We know the actor Laurence Fox through his roles in Oxford detective drama Lewis as well as ITV’s Victoria. But did you know that he is also an acclaimed singer-songwriter?

The fictional crime-busting heartthrob, who also starred in films The Professor and The Madman, alongside Mel Gibson and Sean Penn, and Elizabeth, alongside Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, is a talented musician who has released a new album and will soon be playing his adopted Oxford.

The album, called A Grief Observed, was written by Fox and contains lyrics and songs which reflect his personal experiences and thoughts over the past few years.

The album is a politically charged follow up to his previous album Holding Patterns.

One of the songs on the album, which goes by the name The Distance, was written as a form of backlash towards the rise of political correctness in the UK, and what Laurence perceives to be a decrease in freedom of expression.

Laurence says of the song: “This is about the desire to stifle expression.

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“To salute only the present orthodoxy; the dangers of throwing away old wisdoms in order not to offend the perpetually offended. It’s my attempt at an anthem in praise of free expression and how it takes people listening together to make a difference in life.”

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Throughout February Laurence will be embarking on a UK tour which includes a date at The Bullingdon in Cowley Road on the February 26.

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Laurence comes from solid showbiz heritage: his father is the actor James Fox, Edward Fox, Robert Fox and Daniel Chatto are all uncles and Emilia Fox is a cousin. But, he previously told us he didn’t fall into the family business by any means.

Having been expelled from Harrow, he worked as a landscape gardener for a while.

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“I was quite directionless,” he admitted, revealing that his father suggested gently at breakfast one day that he might consider acting as an option.

Rada followed, as did his first film Gosford Park, and a part in The Last Drop, in which he was spotted by Whately who suggested him as a contender for Hathaway.

He said: “I did love doing Lewis, though... I hope I’ve done it justice!”