RIP Roger Moore

So James Bond isn’t immortal after all. Yesterday Roger Moore became the first 007 to die. From 1973 to 1985, he was the smoothest and most urbane of Bonds, bringing a suave raise of the eyebrow to the role. For me Roger Moore will always be – not James Bond but Lord Brett Sinclair the aristocratic adventurer he played alongside Tony Curtis in The Persuaders. In real life he was far from aristocratic, a working-class boy from Battersea. He was also, by all accounts, kind, charming and terrific fun with an endless supply of risqué jokes and anecdotes. This is the tune I most associate with him. Because just like Roger Moore, John Barry’s best work wasn’t for Bond, it was for The Persuaders.