Anyone feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the current news cycle can look forward to a 10 cosy minutes of gentle escapism as this chaotic year draws to close, thanks to none other than Tom Hardy.
The Oscar-nominated actor has been confirmed for another episode of CBeebies’ Bedtime Stories, which will air over the festive period.
And yes, you’ll be pleased to hear he’s bringing his dog along with him again.
In what we can only describe as an antidote to the collective stress we’re all feeling right now, Tom will be sitting down to read An Odd Dog Christmas by Rob Biddulph as we all settle down on Christmas Eve.
As if that wasn’t enough, he’ll also be lending his voice to The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson on Christmas Day.
Tom’s past Bedtime Stories have gone down a storm, racking up more than a million views on the BBC iPlayer since 2016 (which, indeed, would suggest it’s not just CBeebies’ target audience tuning in to enjoy them).
As ever, he’ll be joined by his adorable French bulldog Blue, with both episodes available to watch at your leisure on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.
Last year, Tom was brought in for a whole week’s worth of Bedtime Stories at the beginning of lockdown, in what CBeebies dubbed “Tom Week”.
In a decidedly un-CBeebies movie, Tom reprised his role as Venom earlier this year, in the superhero film Let There Be Carnage.
He also plays the character in a cameo appearance in the new Spider-Man film No Way Home.