Charlie Higson stepped in to guest at short notice on Dermot O'Leary's Radio 2 show, with Dermot explaining that Paul Nicholas was unwell and would be rescheduled "in a couple of weeks' time." Higson, who wrote the Young Bond series before turning his hand to adult 007 with new novel King Zero, was on hand to discuss writing a contemporary Bond, right down to giving him a Spotify playlist stocked entirely with Bond theme singers.
The most striking revelation came when Dermot asked whether Amazon, now custodians of the Bond franchise, had taken an interest in his book. "They did ask if they could get a synopsis of the book just to check that we weren't doing anything that would clash," Higson said, adding that he never heard back, which he took as reassurance his plot was safely different from whatever the studio has planned next.
Listen: Did Amazon vet the new Bond novel?
Elsewhere, the Mystery Voice feature claimed two more victims, with referee Barry guessing Rick Wakeman and Robin from London going for Johnny Flynn, both wrong, prompting Dermot to joke it was "getting desperate times when it's two men on the mystery voice." The wedding call went to mother-of-the-bride Diana and bride Polly, ahead of her big day with vicar husband-to-be Ben, with Dermot delighting in the discovery that the collective noun offered for clergy attending was "a prudence of vicar."
Listen: Two men guess the Mystery Voice wrong
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