The Many Lives of James Bond by Mark Edlitz

Author:Mark Edlitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2019-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

In the correspondence, Holness explains why he didn’t play Bond on the radio after Moonraker. Holness writes that the broadcast was “a great success but when enquiries were made about the possibility of doing another adaptation we were told that there were plans to turn a novel into a film and they wanted to see how that went. The rest, as they say, is history.”53

Although Holness hadn’t heard of James Bond before Moonraker, the actor developed some affection for the character. Holness told McKaig that he has subsequently “read one or two of the earlier novels though and enjoyed them a great deal.”54 As far as the cinematic Bond, Holness explained, “When my children were younger I would take them to the cinema to see the latest Bond release but we all agree that after Sean Connery it was never the same.”55

Holness, the first radio Bond, didn’t seem envious of Connery, the first movie Bond. He recounted, “As far as playing Bond on the big screen, it never occurred to me to try. My strength lay, not really in acting, but in presenting and I was very happy to stay in that field.”56 Later, Holness found success hosting the game show Blockbusters in England from 1983 to 1994, an eleven-year run.

The letter to McKaig provides valuable context to the adaptation and to Holness’s role in it. However, it does not provide us with all the answers. Holness lamented, “I’m afraid that I have no idea who adapted the novel for radio, how the rights were obtained or who else was in the cast.”57 Holness also indicated that he did not know exactly when Moonraker was performed: “I think that the recording was made in 1958 although I can’t be sure.”58 Holness, underestimating the importance of his letter, sweetly added, “I fear I’ve been little help with regard to giving you specific information.”59

It’s problematic to write about Holness as Bond because, as previously indicated, his performance was not believed to have been preserved. Moreover, aside from the previously unpublished letter to Brian McKaig, there is little reliable information about SABC’s radio adaptation of Moonraker. However, because I wanted to acknowledge Holness’s contribution to the franchise and discover more information, I contacted his daughter Ros Holness, a member the pop group Toto Coelo, whose song “I Eat Cannibals” was a hit in the 1980s.

Ros confided to me that she made a discovery that provides new information about Holness’s stint as Bond. Ros explained: “A while ago, whilst sorting papers in my late father’s study, I stumbled upon a book of contracts that I’d never seen before. One of these contracts was particularly interesting as it was the one issued when Bob agreed to play James Bond in Moonraker.”

Ros had originally planned to present this document herself but she has allowed me to include it in this book. Ros’s discovery is noteworthy because it gives us critical new information about the adaptation. Before she found the document, even the most basic facts about the broadcast could not be corroborated—even the year was unknown.

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