The Hobbit star Martin Freeman has teamed up with PETA, penning a letter on the charity's behalf to call on Prime Minister David Cameron to bring in a ban on wild animals in circuses.

The letter comes after Cameron's failure to follow through on his promise to ban wild animals from travelling circuses by January 2015. Freeman, who has two children with Amanda Abbington, says 'As a father, I'd like to see my children grow up in a country where animals are treated with respect, not as objects of ridicule. Allowing circuses with wild animals to continue to operate in the country sends the message to children that it's OK to dominate animals and ignore any pain and suffering that they're experiencing - which, of course, it's not'.