Let Tom Hardy Read You a Bedtime Story

Tom Hardy, the British actor who came to prominence playing characters averse to shaving and bathing, had a holiday surprise for fans on New Year’s Eve. He was featured on the BBC’s CBeebies anthology series, where actors are tasked with reading bedtime stories to young viewers.

Hardy’s selection was You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (who provided the illustrations), a whimsical tale in which a boy invited to a party tries to adhere to the dress code by taking along a monkey sporting a cap. Hardy uses several different voices during his segment; the dog dozing in his lap is reported to be the actor’s own.

The spot is likely to be the most family-friendly appearance by the actor in the foreseeable future. He can next be seen in Taboo, the BBC One and FX period drama about an anti-establishment provocateur that Hardy has described as being “part Hannibal Lecter.” You can catch all of Hardy’s reading engagement below.