Happy Valley’s James Norton sees his James Bond odds reduced after Tommy Lee Royce escape

Happy Valley’s James Norton has seen his chances of taking on the role of Daniel Craig as James Bond reduced after Sunday night’s gripping show.

Viewers said the fourth installment of series three had all the makings of a 007 audition after evil villain Tommy Lee Royce makes his daring escape from Leeds court.

Fans of the show were swooning over the shirtless prison scenes, a dramatic fight in which the psycho beat up two security officers, fled on foot, and then re-emerged in skintight lycra as a biker.

After the nail-biting spectacle, bookies have now lowered the odds that James, 37, will become the next Bond.

Craig retired from his role as a secret agent after the blockbuster No Time To Die and speculation has been rife as to who is next in line.

James was 7/1 but is now 6/1 – third favorite along with Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page, according to Ladbrokes. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Superman Henry Cavill are joint favorites at 2/1.

Viewers took to Twitter in droves to comment on how the scenes left them convinced that James would be the perfect replacement for Craig.

‘It was like a Bond audition!’: Viewers said the fourth installment of series three had all the makings of a 007 audition after Tommy Lee Royce made his daring escape from Leeds court

Knock-out: Fans of the show were swooning over the shirtless prison scenes, a dramatic fight in which the psycho beat up two security officers.

Escape: Tommy then jumped off the bench and shot out of the courtroom doors while a staged fight was taking place outside.

Gripping scenes: TV’s baddest villain pretended to be a cop as he jumped security gates and ran to nearby kiosks to don his costume.

“I’m not easily impressed, but I can see him as James Bond. He was perfectly suave in Mcmafia so he could fit the role well,’ wrote one.

‘Happy Valley last night was brilliant. The best show on tv right now. James Norton manages to be both terrifying and charming as the villain. Excellent acting,” another fan wrote.

While a different viewer wrote: “Thank you BBC for James Norton in Lycra.”

“Think James Norton was auditioning for James Bond last night with his thrilling escape and you could see every inch of the movie star after his haircut he wouldn’t have known he was in prison lol,” another viewer joked.

“@jginorton deserves to be offered the role of #jamesbond #HappyValley,” another fan added.

‘Fascinating. Just amazingly wonderful, captivating and inspiring. Impossible to be better. And I sincerely hope you’ll be the next Bond…If you want, that is,” said another.

Heartthrob: Early in the episode, Tommy had a transformation of sorts for his court appearance, and viewers’ hearts were racing at the shirtless scenes.

Woah – the villain had certainly been working out in jail while admiring his ripped physique in the mirror.

Impressed: “I’m not easily impressed but I can see him as James Bond. He was perfectly suave in Mcmafia so he could fit the role well,” wrote one.

Inking: Tommy even had a tattoo to rival David Beckham’s (pictured right), with his son Ryan’s name emblazoned on the back of his neck

The next 007? Viewers took to Twitter in droves to comment on how the scenes left them convinced that James would be the perfect replacement for Craig.

The last five minutes of the latest episode of the hit BBC drama saw major breakthroughs in both stories, as Rob Hepworth discovered the body of his wife Joanna and Tommy made his great escape.

One fan stated that the show “makes it impossible to go to bed early” as the episode ended with another cliffhanger and the prospect of a final showdown between Catherine Cawood and Royce.

Meanwhile, the series’ other main story line unfolded when Joanna’s disappearance raised suspicions.

Time for the next 007: Craig retired from his role as a secret agent after the blockbuster No Time To Die and speculation has abounded as to who is next in line.

Favourites: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (L) and Superman Henry Cavill (R) are joint favorites at 2/1

Third: James was 7/1 but is now 6/1 – joint third favorite with Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page

Episode three saw Faisal Bhatti (Amit Shah) murder Joanna in a fit of rage after her plan to kill Rob fell apart.

Despite her husband, Rob, insisting that his character was to disappear, Joanna’s concerned parents were seen arriving at the police station to file a missing person report with Sergeant Cawood.

After being questioned at his home, Rob noticed a suitcase in the garage and opened it to see the gruesome scene of his wife’s body piled inside.

Viewers praised the show’s writer, Sally Wainwright, for her ability to bring two stories to a head in a matter of minutes.

‘Generating that amount of tension in one episode takes skill, but generating that amount of tension in 2 separate story threads within one episode, is writing and directing of the highest order. #HappyValley,” declared one fan.

Another noted that ‘Happy Valley makes it impossible to go to bed early on a Sunday. Each episode leaves you with a heart rate of around 200 BPM.’

‘Jesus Christ. I didn’t breathe for about ten minutes,’ another agreed.

Others noted that, once again, Cawood’s hunch that Tommy was up to something during their court hearing turned out to be correct, as they pleaded with their colleagues and family to “always listen to Catherine when she has a hunch”.

Tommy’s escape signals that a final showdown between him and Cawood is building, but with this being the series finale, some viewers are beginning to worry that Sarah Lancashire’s leading lady won’t make it to retirement.

“If bad things happen to Catherine at the end of this series, I’m not sure I can forgive Sally Wainwright and company.” tweeted author JoJo Moyes.

Happy Valley continues on BBC One Sunday at 9pm

Interesting: Happy Valley’s series finale reached a crescendo during episode four on Sunday night. Continues on BBC One Sunday at 9pm