James Norton attempted to get BBC Radio 1 listeners very excited when he read out some steamy text messages during Jordan North's show.

The actor, 37, revealed some of the x-rated messages he receives on social media before reading them out as villain Tommy Lee Royce from his BBC series Happy Valley.  

He explained: 'I know we're talking DMs later. I used to get some very strange [ones].

'Yeah, it was quite inappropriate - I used to get a little bit weirded out.

'They would sort of say stuff like, "I can't - you're such a monster" and follow up with "take me to your cellar".'

James then altered his intonation to a strong Yorkshire accent to sound like his character Tommy as he began to read some of the messages.

After James read out some of the text, Jordan asked him: 'Do you know what? Now you've mentioned [Tommy], can you do the next one in his accent?'

Laughing, James said he was more than happy to as he read some words from listener Liz about a fruit fanatic.

'I've fallen in love,' James began in Tommy's northern accent before collapsing into giggles.

'Literally everyone in the studio is freaking out,' Jordan shouted. 'The girls in the studio are freaking - I've gone sweaty!'

James continued: 'I've fallen in love with ya and I'd like to be your banana partner.'

Falling back into his well spoken lilt, James asked: 'Sorry but what on earth is that?'

Taking to Twitter after hearing the segment, one listener wrote: 'Urgh as soon as he goes into Tommy’s voice it repulses me. I hate him in Happy Valley that’s how I know he’s doing a good job.'

'Thanks for making evil sexy - I'm so confused right now,' wrote someone else.

Another listener shared: 'I fancy James Norton a lot more when he's doing that sexy Yorkshire accent!'

It comes after James spoke out about how he overcame bullying at school as a child. 

Born in London to teacher parents Lavinia Jane and Hugh Biddulph Norton, James grew up in North Yorkshire where he attended £36,000-a-year Catholic boarding school Ampleforth College.  

The school was previously banned from taking new pupils after a child sex abuse scandal, when the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to have covered up decades of claims to safeguard the church’s reputation.

Although he's stressed that he was never sexually abused, Norton previously revealed he was so badly bullied at school that he's having therapy 20 years later.

The actor admitted 'it's only now' that he's 'recognising the effect' of his troubled past and 'what it's done to him'.  

'I had quite a grim time,' he told the Daily Mail's Eden Confidential. 'It's only now, in my later life as an adult, that I'm recognising that effect and what it has done to me.'  

Speaking on the Comfort Eating podcast, he said: 'My school years were complicated. I didn't have the greatest time.

'I was quite badly bullied for five years and I was at boarding school so I couldn't leave. I've had a great therapist for the last four years, and it's not from a place of drama.

'And I'm luckily not suffering from depression or anything like that but it's been really, really helpful to understanding what [happened to me at school].'