His Rojesty

Listening to the “Sir Roger Moore” podcast this morning courtesy of BBC Audiobooks and their sporadic "Behind the Mic" series (and quite frankly, there should be a Sir Roger Moore podcast every day), and it’s as much fun as I’d hoped it would be. He’s touting “My Word Is My Bond” (of course) – and the fundamental niceness of the man shows through in the little bit of chat he gives in between readings.

Did you know that Richard Kiel was blind in one eye? I didn’t. Roj on Richard’s terror of heights, on being asked to do a stunt on The Spy Who Loved Me involving running along some scaffolding fairly high off the ground – ““But Lewis...!!!”, wailed Richard, “I don’t even like being this tall...”” I wonder if Richard’s seen the first twenty minutes of Casino Royale yet?

This man was (and is) one of the biggest stars in the world, and yet he gets star-struck himself standing at a UNICEF event on the same stage as Audrey Hepburn. His little asides are wonderful, too -

“I thought I might write a book about my illnesses. About my hypochondria. About the time I got shot in the leg. About the time I was rushed to hospital with appendicitis, but it turned out to be acute constipation...”

And later...

“One of the great things about audiobooks is that you can fall asleep listening to them. Most people who read in bed are – usually – reading under not ideal conditions, with bad lighting and such. Listening instead of reading is much more healthy. Of course, with my book, I can guarantee you’ll be asleep by the end of the first page.”

And best of all –

“Thank you for listening. I’m Roger Moore. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. However, If you want a good read, buy Sean Connery’s book...”

Love that man. Love him to pieces.