Bookies slash odds on Taboo star Tom Hardy to be the next James Bond

Tom Hardy in BBC One's Taboo CREDIT: BBC

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•  Tristram Fane Saunders 

21 JANUARY 2017 • 4:41PM

Tom Hardy's charismatic role in BBC One's new drama Taboohas won not only won the critics - but it's also won over the punters, with a spate of gamblers placing bets on the 39-year-old actor to be chosen as the next James Bond.

Back in September, Ladbrokes slashed the odds on Hardy playing 007 down from 12/1, after a surprising flurry of bets from the Surrey area, from people keen to put their money on Hardy. "Do they know something we don’t?" the bookmaker asked at the time.

And now, according to the Mirror, this month has seen another leap up the table for Hardy, leaving the Oscar-nominated actor as a strong favourite with bookies offering odds as short as 7/4 on Hardy landing the role of 007.

Tom Hardy as James Delaney in Taboo CREDIT: BBC

Hardy has previously expressed doubt about his chances, joking that by mentioning the role he has already ruled himself out. "When an actor says they want to be James Bond, their chances of being Bond are reduced significantly. So that’s it, isn’t it?" he has said.

But Hardy, who earned a Best Supporting Actor nod at last year's Oscars for The Revenant, is not the only potential 007 in the running. Victoria actor Tom Hughes has allegedly impressed Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, while movie stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston have both also been named as likely contenders.

Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch - once considered a potential 007 – is relieved at no longer being surrounded by Bond rumours. "I think people are obsessed with other people being Bond at the moment, so the heat’s off me,” he told GQ last year.