Tom Hardy is known to set pulses racing in his BBC TV series Taboo.

The 39-year-old caused quite a stir following the news he reportedly helped capture a suspected thief near his home in Richmond.

Here we take a look at the some of the reason why Tom is one of Surrey's most-loved men.

1. He catches criminals with his bare hands

Hardy pursued the man through gardens

Former Cobham pupil and Hollywood heart-throb Tom Hardy could almost have been auditioning for a Bond film as he was spotted chasing a suspected thief through back gardens.

A suspect had fled the scene where he and another man had crashed a stolen moped into a £50,000 Mercedes near Hardy's home in Richmond.

2. He loves sausage and mash

Ashleigh Clark with Tom Hardy after serving him lunch at the Crown and Cushion in Minley
Ashleigh Clark with Tom Hardy after serving him lunch at the Crown and Cushion in Minley

The English actor and producer tucked into sausage and mash at the Crown and Cushion pub in Minley in March - but was almost invisible due to his huge beard.

Ashleigh Clark, who served Taboo star Hardy his lunch, said: “It’s quite funny actually because throughout the time he was sat eating he was not recognised.

“Then, as he was leaving, one of my colleagues spotted him and that’s when he got all the attention.

“Staff and customers were getting pictures, they couldn’t believe it."

3. He sends children to sleep with his soothing voice

Tom Hardy set pulses racing when he read Children's bedtime stories on CBeebies
Tom Hardy set pulses racing when he read Children's bedtime stories on CBeebies

Mothers went into meltdown on New Year's Eve and Mother's Day when the father-of-two read bedtime stories on CBeebies.

The 39-year-old read The Cloudspotter by Tom McLaughlin on Mother's Day.

Tom was joined by his pet pooch Woody.

4. He treats his wife to a curry

Restaurant co-owner Farah Ali with Tom Hardy

Let's not forget the time when Tom took his wife Charlotte Riley to a Weybridge restaurant scene to enjoy a curry.

The Oscar-nominated star and his actress wife visited No 7 Temple in Queens Road on December 15.

Hardy, 39, who went to school at Reed’s in Cobham , took time out to pose for pictures with husband-and-wife owners Shiraz and Farah Ali.

5. The moment he gallops through the Surrey countryside

Sunrise through morning mist at Chobham Common
Sunrise through morning mist at Chobham Common

The moment when Tom Hardy galloped across Chobham Common in his TV series Taboo sent many hearts aflutter.

In the opening sequence of episode one , Hardy heads to London through the Surrey countryside area known as Tank Hill.

He is then seen galloping on a white horse around Albury Bottom.

Senior ranger for Surrey Wildlife Trust Steve Fry said: "I briefly met Tom Hardy during the shoot and he was very pleasant. The crew was very happy and really nice.

"The Taboo crew spent two days setting up and three days shooting, although Tom Hardy was not there for that long."

6. His suberb acting skills

BBC Taboo: Tom Hardy in Chobham Common

The 39-year-old reckons he’s attracted to tough-guy roles because he was a “small, skinny” kid who was always scared.

Tom, who won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his wild-man turn in The Revenant, told The Mirror in January: “I play a lot of scary blokes, and there are probably a few reasons why.

“First, villains are much more interesting than hero leads who are, for the most part, really boring.

“Another part of it is, when I was younger, I remember being frightened a lot - of being small and skinny and vulnerable and feeling that I could have been preyed upon easily.

“So everything that I play is what scared me."

Aww.