Editor’s Note
The old James Bond, with his cringey one-liners, extreme sexism and gratuitous bigotry, doesn’t belong in this very “woke” world. So it must be a real challenge for the franchise custodian, producer Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother, Michael G Wilson, to choose the actor who’ll take over the super spy’s mantle when the time comes to make another Bond film.
Betting firm Ladbrokes had Bridgerton leading man Regé-Jean Page leading the odds when he dethroned Tom Hardy, who, in turn, had taken over from Idris Alba as the most likely candidate to replace Daniel Craig as 007. Page was endorsed by Pierce Brosnan, who played the role of Bond in the late ’90s, as a “wonderful choice”, though he also said he’d put his money on Alba for the role — with his “powerful presence and great voice intensity”.
Page was also the most popular choice in our Sunday Times office sweepstakes — and anyone who watched the steamy star in the hit period drama can see why he’s a favourite in the running.
Most people, even non-fans, have a favourite Bond.
Despite being the worst offenders in the pongy remark category, my favourites — and it’s a tough call between the two — are Brosnan and Roger Moore. You see, I like my secret agent to serve up some cheese with the bullets and body blows he dishes out. I mean, you have to be a pretty good actor to say some of those ridiculous sexrelated puns from the Moore- and Brosnan-era films with a straight face or, at the very least, a knowing smirk.
I hope that when it releases next Friday, the new Bond film, No Time To Die, will have some light touches — some remnant of the silly, bubble-gum humour of previous iterations of the character. Us Bond lovers need a bit of the fantasy, a bit of the romance and a bit of the over-the-top action that made the world-saving hero a highlight of many of our childhoods. It’s star, Daniel Craig, was a brilliant choice to play the character, developing the role beyond the slapstick action it had become known for, and its success at the box office proved that he was on the right track. Where the character will go from here remains to be seen, but I’ll always fondly remember lying on the grass and watching Bond beat the bad guys, save the world and get the girl on the big screen in my back garden.