Warning: Contains spoilers for Happy Valley
TV fans have branded actor James Norton the 'sexiest psychopath ever' following his performance in BBC's Happy Valley.
It's Joe from You all over again. What is it with these fictional criminals?
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Norton returned to our screens last night (29 January) in the latest episode of the crime drama, when his character Tommy Lee Royce prepared to stand trial for the murder of Gary Gaggowski.
Royce was able to enjoy a makeover behind bars which left him with a newly clean-shaven face, after which he escaped from his confines and fled across the moors on his bike.
We all love a glow-up, but it's hard to deny that by the time Royce got off his bike and looked out over the lush landscape he looked more like a model in a cycling advert than a grimy, scary criminal.
A lot of fans were unable to get over his good looks and took to Twitter to gush over Norton, with one sharing a clip from the show and branding him the 'sexiest psychopath ever'.
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Another fan commented, "Tommy has got absolutely no business having such a sexy jaw, nose and haircut," while a third wrote: "Cracking ending to tonight's #HappyValley Tommy Lee Royce is one of the most frightening, cocksure, loathsome & yet sexy villains I've ever seen on TV. A brilliant mix of suspense, horror & humour. Perfection."
Norton's good looks have actually proved so distracting that one viewer argued Royce's character was 'miscast', while another admitted they 'still can’t get over how beautiful James Norton is' while trying to 'hate his character'.
Good looks aside, though, the actor has largely been celebrated for his performance on the show.
Managing to ignore his hotness, one Happy Valley viewer wrote: "James Norton is such a rare talent. So so good. Properly scary! Another edge of the seat episode. Brilliant show."
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Though Royce doesn't have much going for him aside from his good looks, Norton has previously opened up about how much he loves playing the character in an interview with the Radio Times.
"Aside from the violence, there was an element of Tommy I absolutely loved playing," he said.
"I overthink everything and worry that I’ve said the wrong thing. Tommy is the ultimate anarchic rebel who doesn’t need any affirmation. I’d have to say that Tommy exploded my experience of the world by taking me to sad places and enhancing my compassion."
Following his escape, fans will be able to see what happens next to Royce in the final episode of Happy Valley on Sunday (5 February).
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Viral, Twitter
Emily Brown