DANIEL Craig fans won’t be disappointed by his interview on a South Bank Show special this week.
The actor who re-invented James Bond is as relaxed and candid as you like when talking to Melvyn Bragg.
He confirms his deal to film four Bond films.
That includes his triumphant 2006 debut in Casino Royale.
And Quantum of Solace, which opens in the UK on October 31.
There are plenty of clips from the new film along with archive material of Bond through the decades.
Plus interviews with Sean Connery, Judi Dench and several others involved in the 007 story.
Chester-born Daniel initially turned down the role.
So what, Melvyn asks, tipped the balance and changed his mind.
Daniel replies: “If I didn’t do it, how would I feel in 10 years’ time?
“I couldn’t live with myself.”
Playing Bond is, arguably, the biggest acting role on the planet.
Just check out the page of international release dates here to see the scale of the 007 empire.
TV fans like me will never forget Daniel as Geordie Peacock in the classic Our Friends In The North.
Quite apart from a wide range of other parts.
But he knows it will be difficult to escape the shadow of Bond.
Melvyn asks him about getting trapped in the role.
Daniel laughs : “It’s too late, really, isn’t it? I walked over that threshold a while ago.
“People say that all the time – are you worried about being typecast?
“It genuinely is a very high class problem to have, to be typecast as James Bond.”
Will he be haunted by the role?
“Yes – success of failure, that’s the way it is.
“But I understood that. I definitely understood that.
“Whether I can cope with it, I don’t know.
“But I thought it through before I took the job.
“I’m not turning down scripts because of this.
“I’m trying to steer clear of spy roles. But apart from that, I’m available.”
*James Bond: The South Bank Show (ITV1, Wed, 10.40pm)
Daniel is also a guest of this week’s edition of BBC1’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.
Quantum Of Solace
Daniel Craig: Our Friend In The North