Gold Bond

Fairport Convention: Who Knows Where the Times Goes (BBC4, 9pm)

Moone Boy (Sky1, 9.30pm)

SEPTEMBER 15 marks the 50th anniversary of James Bond on the big screen, so 007 fans worldwide will be raising shaken vodka Martinis in their tuxedos and reflecting on half a century of gorgeous girls, gadgets and outrageous adventures.

One man who knows the part better than most is Roger Moore, the muchimitated actor who played Bond between 1973 and 1985. So who better to open a new series of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories than the man himself?

Moore, who’s 85 next month, will be recalling the highs and lows of his acting career and personal life, lifting the lid on his four marriages and recounting the story of his humble upbringing in south London.

The son of a London policeman, he was destined to have a career playing the good guy, the clean-cut hero. In 1961, following a bit-part career in films, a TV version of Ivanhoe, and a stint modelling knittingpatterns for catalogues, Moore came to the attention of producer Albert R Broccoli.

The mogul was looking for an actor to play James Bond, in the first 007 film, Dr No.

Moore caught Broccoli’s eye straight away; he matched the description of Bond to a tee (tall, athletic, and slightly sardonic).

However, the actor had already signed a deal to make The Saint, a TV series based around Leslie Charteris’ Simon Templar. So the James Bond role went to an unknown called Sean Connery instead.

Moore, meanwhile, soldiered on with The Saint, which was a success all around the world. After that show’s demise in 1969, he starred with Tony Curtis in cult TV show The Persuaders.

By 1972, Connery had left the Bond series, Broccoli was scouting around again for an actor to replace him, and this time Moore was free. He made his Bond debut in 1973 film Live and Let Die, and for the next 12 years became synonymous with the 007 role, winning the series a new generation of fans.

With each passing film (he made seven) Moore became merrier, largely because of his million dollar price tag. Not bad for someone described by a critic in 1955 as “a lump of English roast beef”.Alas, his post-007 roles were less memorable.

However, Moore has never been idle away from the cameras. He does a lot of good work for charity, especially Unicef, a cause he waxes lyrical about in his autobiography, My Word is My Bond. All that noble work did not go unnoticed by the powers-that-be – he’s attracted plenty of plaudits over the years, including a coveted knighthood.

SOME bands are here today and gone tomorrow, while others have more life in them than battery-driven bunnies. English folk band Fairport Convention fall into the latter camp, having weathered 45 years of highs and lows in the notoriously fickle music business.

This documentary, Fairport Convention: Who Knows Where the Times Goes, charts some of their finest moments since they rose to fame in 1969 with the album Liege and Lief.

FC have undergone many line-up changes and shifting musical fashions,but in 2012 they are still capable of attracting 20,000 fans to their annual festival in Cropredy, Oxfordshire.

Frank Skinner, who performed on the group’s 2011 album Festival Bell, is the narrator, and if this leaves you hungry for more, stay tuned for a concert celebrating their career at 10pm.

IT’S amazing to think that one of the hottest properties in Hollywood is Chris O’Dowd, aka Roy from The IT Crowd. With roles in movies like Bridesmaids boosting his profile, the semiautobiographical comedy Moone Boy should also do little harm to his career.

It follows the adventures of Martin Moone, a 12-year-old who survives life with his chaotic family by conjuring up an imaginary friend called Sean (O’Dowd).

In the first episode, Martin’s new bike causes problems when bullies get their hands on it. O’Dowd stars, with David Rawle and Deirdre O’Kane, while Johnny Vegas also lends a hand with the laughs.