'It's more than I can handle!' Twitter erupts with glee as hunky Tom Hiddleston strips off and goes shirtless in The Night Manager

There is a long history of handsome actors stripping off in TV dramas, getting viewers hot under their collars.

And the latest to join that prestigious line of hunky shirtless thespians is Tom Hiddleston, who impressed his fans on Sunday night by going shirtless on The Night Manager.

Fans took to Twitter in their droves to comment on the handsome 35-year-old as he revealed his bare chest in one scene - during a sun-soaked swimming pool scene - in the BBC adaptation of the John Le Carre spy novel.

Scroll down for video 

Getting them hot under their collars! Tom Hiddlestons devoted fans took to Twitter in their droves on Sunday night as he went shirtless on the BBC's The Night Manager

Leading the way with the gushing social media messages, was ‏@LaurynMarieLucy, who didn't hold back as she wrote: 'Tom Hiddleston running topless on a beach = more than I can handle #TheNightManager.'

And ‏@RecapNotes added: 'Tom Hiddleston running shirtless on the beach, getting out of the pool, with a kid on his shoulders. Has anyone fainted? #TheNightManager.'

The tweets came thick and fast as the programme aired, with @LOKIDSHERLOCK writing: 'The third episode of #TheNightManager was great! We had Tom Hiddleston shirtless, we had him being cute af. Also, he was shirtless...'

'More than I can handle!' Plenty of the Eton-educated actor's admirers gushed on the social networking site

Appreciation: Fans hit Twitter hard as they expressed their joy at the 35-year-old's topless moment

'Loving all these shirtless Tom Hiddleston scene's #TheNightManager,' added ‏@binkatje.

Meanwhile, @LizzieRosa95 took a silly, jokey approach, commenting: '*sees Tom Hiddleston shirtless*... It's true God does exist.' 

One user, known as ‏@jenny_tran86, personally thanked the BBC for their work: 'Sweet Jesus. Tom Hiddleston. Running. Shirtless #TheNightManager. Kill me now. No wait, I'm already dead. #thanks BBC.'

And ‏@blackwidcv went one further, writing in capitals to seemingly shout: 'TOM HIDDLESTON WET SHIRTLESS, I AM READY TO SIN.' 

They keep on coming: One fan joked about 'fainting' following his appearance, while another said he was 'cute af'

'Tom Hiddleston is trying to kill me, topless Tom then tennis playing Tom then back to topless Tom I'm weak,' ‏@CaburpleGiraffe added to the litany of endless comments about the handsome actor's bare chested moment.

There was no apologising from ‏@lovelivejbieber, either: 'Tom Hiddleston is so hot #notsorry.'

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Aidan Turner in Poldark, and James Norton in Grantchester, it seems that Tom - a current James Bond hopeful - has made a lasting impression while in his new prime time TV spot. 

All eyes on him: Tom was seen in the scene dripping wet and shirtless as his character Jonathan Pine spoke to Major Corkoran (Tom Hollander)

Hot and bothered! Tom showed off his healthy, toned physique in the sunset scene

But it's not the first time the Thor actor has taken off his top for a role, or even on the programme: in the second episode of The Night Manager, Tom was seen showing off his lithe and toned physique last week.

He also set pulses racing when the trailer for forthcoming new film High-Rise was released in February, his legion of devoted fans losing their minds over his impressive frame. 

Eton-educated Tom takes on the leading role of Jonathan Pine, a former solider, in the John Le Carre adaptation, an espionage thriller.

He stars in the hit series alongside Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman and Elizabeth Debicki as a man who who changes his life completely by escaping to become the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo.

Second episode: On last Sunday night's episode of The Night Manager, Tom was filmed in just his underwear

There, he must infiltrate the inner circle of the dastardly scheme set up by arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie).

Meanwhile, Tom has recently been touted as one of the most likely names to take over the role of James Bond, as Daniel Craig has stepped down from the character.

The modest star recently confessed it would be an honour to take on the iconic role.

'Time magazine ran a poll and there were like, 100 actors on the list, including Angelina Jolie,' he said, according to Digital Spy.

'But yes, it's nice to be included in the 100. I'm a huge fan of the series. We all went to see Spectre when we were shooting Skull Island in Hawaii. I simply love the theme tune, the tropes and the mythology. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity.' 

As he usually is: Tom always scrubs up well in a slick tuxedo or suit on the red carpet, but it appears fans prefer him shirtless

Hello there! He also recently impressed as he went naked in the trailer for forthcoming movie High-Rise