Brian Cox: "We shouldn’t muck around with James Bond”

In the early 2000s, Cox played CIA boss Ward Abbott in the Bourne trilogy, with many critics thinking Matt Damon's Jason Bourne may have inspired Daniel Craig's James Bond.

With some of the older films now facing criticism for not being politically correct, Cox spoke with Radio Times magazine about the James Bond franchise.

When asked if he still thinks it's okay to air the movies, even if they contain language we don't use in today's society, Cox said: "Yeah, I think that's OK... because the only way we can understand who we are is by acknowledging our history.

"Look what's happening in the world today: if we had a real sense of who we are, we wouldn't have had the idiotic clown from Eton [Boris Johnson] or the Pink Pinocchio [Donald Trump] or Borsch and Tears [Vladimir Putin]."

While he admitted it's "fine" to have disclaimers on older programmes, Cox said "it's a wonderful tradition that we try to carry on".

"We don't muck around with Shakespeare; we shouldn't muck around with James Bond."

Read more:

• 007: Road To A Million cast - Confirmed line-up
• I'm a Celebrity 2023 rumoured line-up: Potential celebrity contestants

007: Road to a Million will air on Amazon on Friday 10th November, in what Cox describes as an "intense and nail-biting" challenge.

Talking about his role in the competition show, Cox said: "I enjoyed my role as both villain and tormentor, with license to put the hopeful participants through the mangle."

007 Road to a Million will air on Prime Video on 10th November 2023 – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

Looking for something else to watch in the meantime? Check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.

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