Succession star Brian Cox has said the new series of 007: Road To A Million is “infinitely more dramatic” than the first one.
The Prime Video reality competition series follows eight contestants as they are dropped into the high-stakes world of James Bond where they take on missions that push them to the limits, testing them physically and psychologically, for the chance to win £1 million.
Watching over them is actor Cox, 79, who returns as The Controller, the stern and sardonic taskmaster.
Cox said: “It’s a different series from the first one. There’s more interaction between me and the contestants, which I think is a great thing and a great improvement.
“To me, that works incredibly well and I’m very excited by that. It’s also infinitely more Bond-related.
“It’s infinitely more dramatic than it was the last time.
“Not only is it physically demanding but they’re exposing themselves to scrutiny constantly, and that’s tough. I’m not sure that’s something I would particularly like to do. I have respect for the contestants, because they put themselves in that frame of mind.”
The new eight-part series will also see some format changes to increase the stakes and introduce new elements of competition, strategy and drama.
From scaling towers in Bangkok to wreck diving with sharks in the Bahamas, the second series will take contestants around the world with episodes in Thailand, Austria and Mexico – each location coming straight out of a Bond movie.
Competing against each other, the two slowest duos on each mission must face off in the Killer Question, an immersive, high-tension question that will always see one couple eliminated.
Cox added: “The relationships of the people in the show, when they’re under a certain scrutiny, they behave in a certain kind of way, and that is quite moving.
“It can be incredibly touching to see their individual struggles, which is slightly separate from the challenges on the show and the competition element, but it’s about how they’ve come to the show and where they’re coming from generally in life.”
The second series of 007: Road To A Million will be released on Prime Video on August 22.
