One of the North West‘s fastest rising young stars is reportedly said to be “in consideration” for the next James Bond.
Fans of the smash-hit show Emily in Paris – which is currently drawing in millions of viewers globally after releasing its third series on Netflix just before Christmas – may recognise Lucien Laviscount for playing the part of English banker Alfie, who turns up as a student in lead character Emily’s French class in the second series and goes on to become one of her love interests.
But could he soon be known for a different role?
Well, if the rumours that have been circulating in the tabloids and on social media over the last 24-hours are anything to go by, the 30-year-old Burnley-born actor may be set to swap Paris for the life of a MI6 agent.
He has reportedly grabbed the attention of 007 producer Barbara Broccoli, and is now believed to be in the running for the highly-coveted part of James Bond.
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Lucien Laviscount reportedly ‘in consideration’ for the next James Bond / Credit: Netflix
Laviscount may have also made a name for himself after securing roles in Grange Hill, Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, the 2017 remake of Snatch, and on US series Scream Queens, and Katy Keene, as well as being a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2011 – but stepping into the shoes of James Bond would be a whole new territory.
They explained: “He is a super-talented actor, is extremely handsome, and in the past 18 months has won lots of new fans since he joined Emily In Paris.
“Bond bosses are already saying how you can see him in the 007 tuxedo, how dapper and fitting to the role he will look.”
James Bond is undoubtedly one of the most famous characters of all time, and the role is always considered to be one of the hottest roles in Hollywood, whatever the generation, but it is perhaps none more so than at the moment following Daniel Craig’s departure after starring as the famous spy for five films from 2006’s Casino Royale to 2021’s No Time To Die.
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The 30-year-old is said to have caught the eye of 007 producers / Credit: Lucien Laviscount (via Instagram)
Laviscount is the latest actor to appear on the ever-growing list of names to replace Craig in the 007 role, and comes after fellow Brit Aaron Taylor-Johnson emerged as a frontrunner last month.
Taylor-Johnson was, at the time, said to be ahead of other huge acting names including former Superman star Henry Cavill, Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hardy, and BAFTA-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it’s unsure at this moment where Laviscount sits in this lineup and how much of a chance he stands.
Despite all the rumours of frontrunners though, it’s believed that Broccoli and fellow producer Michael G Wilson are to make a casting announcement in March.
Sir David Jason set for TV return in Only Fools and Horses documentary Christmas special
Danny Jones
In a surprise bit of festive news, the only and only Sir David Jason is returning for an Only Fools and Horses Christmas special this December. Lovely jubbly!
The best-loved and most-watched British comedy of all time will be back on our screens in documentary form this festive season, with Del Boy himself David Jason revisiting the iconic comedy character after 20 years he last played him on screen.
While the legendary sitcom was broadcast on BBC back in the day, the highly-anticipated Only Fools doc will be airing on Channel 5 right before Christmas as a special one-off programme.
Looking back on the show’s incredible run on UK screens over seven series and the several ‘Christmas Cracker’ specials, specifically, the latest Only Fools and Horses documentary will see Jason and a number of other guests appearing to chat about the legendary show.
The release date of the Only Fools special Christmas documentary is yet to be announced.
While it’s still unclear how many of the original cast will be appearing, Jason’s on-screen wife Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel) is confirmed to be appearing along with other special guests including newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Bendiorm‘s Sherrie Hewson.
Sadly, a full theatrical reunion just isn’t on the cards following the deaths of Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger), Kenneth MacDonald (Mike the Landlord) and Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) in the 30 years since the show ended its run.
Only Fools writer John Sullivan also sadly passed away aged 64 in 2011 and fellow co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, a.k.a. Rodney Trotter, told Metro: “We can’t. John is no longer with us. John was the driving force of the show and we have also lost quite a few cast members now.
“I don’t think I could do it without them and I certainly couldn’t do it without John. At the risk of depressing everyone, I think the last two times I’ve seen David has been at funerals.”
Simply entitled, ‘The Story Of Only Fools And Horses At Christmas’, the 90-minute special is yet to have its broadcast date fully confirmed but you best keep your eyes peeled on the TV guide — we’ll let you know as soon we do.
Jason, 81, has only just recovered from hip surgery earlier this year, so it’ll be nice to see his familiar grin back on our screens.
Right, we’re off to binge a whole series on UK Gold.
Scott McTominay jokes he’s ‘fuming’ he didn’t score a hat-trick against Chelsea as he reflects on Man United’s mentality
Danny Jones
Scott McTominay has joked he’s “fuming” with himself after failing to score a hat-trick in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday nightand shed some light on the mentality around Old Trafford.
McTominay starred in the Red Devils’ win over Mauricio Pochettino’s side on a cold night at home, managing to bag a brace with a goal in the first and second half to get his squad over the line, but he himself said he could have had more.
Speaking to MUTV after the game, the 26-year-old said he and the squad knew they needed to drum up a reaction after the Newcastle disappointment, adding that contributing more goals is something he wants to keep working on and insisting that plenty of people back him to do so.
Confessing that his mum, dad and grandad have all been encouraging him to “get in the box” and that he just needs to “believe in [him]self and go for it”, the Scotsman did go on to quip he was “fuming” to not grab a third as he shook his head went on to shake and reveal a wry smile.
Scott McTominay was the match-winner against Chelsea.
Commentator and presenter Stewart Gardner went on to list McTominay’s impressive stats this season, having now scored 14 goals in his last 33 appearances for club and country. A seriously good rate from a midfielder typically entrusted to help link play and break things up in the middle of the park.
Now boasting half a dozen goals and an assist across all competitions so far this campaign, he sits as the club’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League with five finishes to his name — with only Bruno Fernandes having contributed more (five goals and five assists) — he’s genuinely become one of Man United’s main goal threats.
While he recently rubbished talk that he played as a striker regularly coming up through the youth academy, simply having been deployed for the odd game in reality, he has always had a shot on him and it isn’t the first time he’s bagged a winner or a big goal for the Reds. This wasn’t a bad one either:
Chatting with the pundits on Amazon Prime Sport, he reiterated that he could have had “one or two more” on another night and agreed that the performance against Newcastle in the previous fixture was “pretty abysmal”, holding his hands up to admit that it was “no way near good enough”.
Reflecting on the later chance he had to seal the hat-trick towards the end of the game, he said he simply needed to “calm down on the last one”.
As for the mentality to get the result during a difficult period where the club remained under a lot of scrutiny from pundits and fans alike, McTominay went on to say that the manager is responsible for the way they played and some “lighter training sessions to keep energy levels up” definitely helped.
Regardless, he was sure to not get ahead of himself and assured ten Hag‘s team were still taking things a game at a time. You can watch the full highlights from Manchester United vs Chelsea down below: