‘I hung out with him on the set of Octopussy’
In the summer of 1982 a man asked if I was a Sikh and if I wore a turban. He had phoned to book a disco as I ran a mobile disco with my brother, so I wondered what my religion had to do with things. He told me he was from Eon Studios, the company behind the James Bond film franchise.
He said the next Bond film Octopussy would have scenes filmed at the steam railway in Peterborough and the movie’s main villain would be wearing a turban and they needed someone who could tie one: could I do this for them?
That rather surreal conversation led to me meeting Roger Moore and Kabir Bedi - the movie’s villain - in a local hotel and I got the gig, possibly because I had my own turbans.
I spent the next four weeks on set tying what was my grey school turban on Kabir’s head, as the ones they had purchased in India were too small and kept falling off.
I was paid £50 per day for what was 10 minutes of time to tie on the turban and then hung around the set “chatting” with the Bond Girls or in Kabir’s trailer, which was next to Roger Moore’s.
Roger would often sit outside his trailer smoking a cigar and I found it really easy to sit and chat with him as he loved cinema as much as I did. He wasn’t even offended when I told him that Sean Connery was my favourite Bond.
Reporters allowed on set tried their best to goad him about the Connery vs Moore Bond rivalry since Connery was coming back to do a Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again. But Roger never rose to the bait he simply commented that both he and Sean interpreted Bond in their own way.
He had a fantastic and very dry sense of humour. He also never took himself seriously - the ability to laugh at oneself is a gift many of us lack, but not Sir Roger. He will be sadly missed.
Del Singh, 54, Peterborough
‘He asked me to join him for lunch’
My very first job was on the women’s page of a Scottish newspaper. I was about 18 at the time, and one day the editor sent me to cover the press conference for the launch of a new perfume which was being held at a big Glasgow hotel. When I arrived, as I thought punctually, the only person in the reception room was Roger Moore, who was a director of the perfume company.
He said “You’re a bit early, we don’t start until 3pm”. I was acutely embarrassed and murmured an apology. He then said “I was just going to have lunch, why don’t you join me?” He took me to lunch in the hotel restaurant, where he chatted amiably about his work and especially his family. Before accompanying me back to the event, he gave me a special edition bottle of the new perfume and wished me well.
He was a lovely person, and one of nature’s true gentlemen.
Janice Hood Di Benedetto, 63, Italy
‘Bond defended me from a nasty broadcaster’
At 17 I was working at the Odeon in Leicester Square and it hosted the Premiere of The Spy Who Loved Me. I was an usherette but asked to serve drinks and canapés at a private reception. Sir Roger was there - as were many other big names. Being under 18 I was not allowed to get drinks at the bar, just to take trays of canapés around.
A well known broadcaster told me to fetch him a whiskey. I explained the situation and he shouted at me and almost threatened me if I didn’t do as he ordered. Roger Moore stepped in, apologised to me, and suavely got a whiskey for the rude man. He said to him ‘if you speak to the young lady in such a fashion again, I’ll be forced to show you some ‘exit moves’ that I learned as Bond!’
He was a very admirable man.
Margie Callanan, 57, East Sussex
‘He showed me his car like it was the latest Bond gadget’
In 2004 I went to Crans Montana in Switzerland to interview Roger for a DVD extra. He spent his winter months there and was very popular with the locals, so much so I got a free hotel room (as I was “a friend of Roger”), and free drinks at the bar.
Sunday morning Roger turned up about 30 minutes early. I said he must be keen. He replied: “Well, when you get to my age I like to turn up early, otherwise you might give my part to someone else!”
Interview went great, then I accompanied him to the snowy covered car park and he pointed out a Volvo 4WD, saying that it was the “only car of its type in all of Switzerland.” “How do you know that?” I asked. “Because it’s mine” he said, spending 15 minutes pointing out all the features of the car - much like the way Q would show Bond around the latest Bond car.
He was such a brilliant guy, always nice to everyone and told the worst, most pathetic jokes I have ever heard, but everyone still laughed. After all, he’s Roger Moore.
Jeff Smart, 54, Manchester
‘I modelled myself on Moore - unsuccessfully, according to my wife’
We were queuing up in Leicester Square to get into the cinema to see the Barbra Streisand film Funny Lady. Directly in front of us in the queue was Roger Moore and his family. The cinema manager came out and spotted them in the queue.
He came over and started making a fuss but Roger Moore would have none of it - he just wanted to queue up and buy his tickets at the box office like everyone else. What impressed me was that he did this with such skill and charm that the manager’s feelings were not hurt and nobody further down the queue noticed a thing.
From that moment on I modelled myself on Roger Moore - a task that according to my wife has consistently proved to be a complete failure. My next encounter with Sir Roger, as he had become, was on his 80th birthday at a Q&A in a theatre in Kingston. I asked him about his love of baked beans. He revealed he was faithful to the Heinz brand and kicked himself for having ended a relationship to a member of the dynasty thereby losing the opportunity for a lifetime’s supply of his favourite delicacy.
James Lizard, 68, London
