After appearing on the BBC children’s channel for the “Bedtime Stories” program in 2016, Batman actor Tom Hardy is returning — with his French bulldog Blue — to read picture books aloud to kids in socially distanced episodes recorded in his backyard, the New York Post reports.
Hardy’s previous “Bedtime Stories” appearance garnered more than 1 million views, according to CNN.
“It’s during challenging times like this that the BBC serves its purpose to entertain,” Cheryl Taylor, the head of content for BBC Children’s, said in a news release, according to CNN. “These new stories are guaranteed to do just that with their themes of long distance friendship, sharing problems and true courage in overcoming seemingly impossible challenges.”
According to Deadline, the picture book lineup for “Tom week” will include:
- “Hug Me,” by Simone Ciraolo
- “Under The Same Sky,” by Robert Vescio and Nicky Johnston
- “There’s A Tiger In The Garden,” by Lizzy Stewart
- “Don’t Worry, Little Crab,” by Chris Haughton
- “The Problem With Problems,” by Rachel Rooney and Zehra Hicks
The episodes will air live from April 27 to May 1 at 6:50 p.m. in the U.K., Variety reports (that’s 11:50 a.m. MT, so in the U.S. it’ll be more like afternoon nap stories).
Hardy’s “Bedtime Stories” will be available online at anytime on BBC’s iPlayer, according to the Hollywood Reporter.