How Roger Moore gave a young fan a top secret James Bond mission

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Marc Haynes' chance meeting with actor Roger Moore as a young boy is one he'll never forget. 

Moore, who played the iconic British spy James Bond in seven films, died Tuesday at the age of 89. Friends and fans alike are remembering his warm and generous personalty. 

I'm seven years old and I'm saving James Bond from certain death.- Marc Haynes

Among them is Haynes, a London-based film and television writer, who spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off about the two times he met Moore — once in 1983, when he was seven years old, and again in his early thirties.

Here is a part of their conversation.

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Carol Off: Where were you when you met James Bond, or Roger Moore, for the first time?

Marc Haynes: The first time I was in the departures lounge at Nice airport. I was with my grandfather and we were walking through to the departures lounge. And I noticed that sitting in one of the chairs was James Bond. I was absolutely thrilled beyond belief. So I said to my grandfather, "There's James Bond! There's James Bond!"

CO: What did he do? 

MH: He went over, perfectly pleasant, and said, "My grandson says you're famous. Could you please sign this?" And he gave him the boarding ticket.

CO: And what did he do, Roger Moore?

MH: Roger Moore signed the ticket and he gave it back to me. And it was only as we were walking away that I read the back, and he signed it, "To Marc, Best wishes. Sincerely, Roger Moore." I couldn't work out what the name was. The name I'd been expecting was James Bond and that wasn't on the ticket. So I said to my grandfather, "I think he signed the wrong name!" My grandfather went straight back there.

CO: So in your mind, this wasn't some guy named Roger Moore; this was James Bond.

MH: If you had told me an actor played James Bond I would not have understood what you meant, because in that departures lounge sitting in that chair was James Bond. That's all I knew.

CO: So your grandfather marched right back and said, "Sign this properly." And what happened?

MH: Roger Moore looked up and he signaled over to me. I'd sort of hung back a little bit, and he cautioned me over, and as I came over, he leant down and he took it very slowly, and he said, "I have to sign Roger Moore because if I put my name James Bond then Blofeld would know I was here."

And of course, everything fell into place for me. Of course this was James Bond, and he'd just essentially given me a secret mission, which was not to reveal that he was in the airport.

CO: So you are now in cahoots. You're in a kind of secret conspiracy with James Bond.

MH: Oh absolutely. I'm seven years old and I'm saving James Bond from certain death. My grandfather basically said to me, "Did you get it all sorted out?" And in the words of a seven-year-old, I effectively said it was a case of mistaken identity.

CO: So even from your grandfather you covered for James Bond?

MH: Absolutely. If James Bond asks you to do something for him, you do it. 

CO: How old were you when you had your next encounter with James Bond?

MH: I was probably in my 30s, by which point I'm a film and television writer. So I was working in television and I met Roger Moore in his capacity as a Unicef ambassador for children. And I was lucky enough to be able to tell him about the experience that I'd had with him when I was a nipper. 

CO: What did he say about that?

MH: He laughed about it. He said, "Oh well, what a wonderful thing for you to be able to say that you met James Bond." So just a delightful, delightful experience. And then, of course, he made it better.

CO: What happened?

MH: When he was leaving to go to his car, I was standing in a corridor by the green room, seeing him off. And as he walked down the corridor, he stopped, and he paused, and he turned to me, and once again leant into me with a low voice, and said: "I do remember when I met you in Nice, but I didn't say anything in case any of the cameramen were working for Blofeld."

I mean, just a perfect gentleman. To be wowed by him at seven is one thing. To be wowed by him at 30? I mean, what a pleasure and a privilege. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more, listen to our full conversation with Marc Haynes.