We've seen her arguing over oven space as Kerry Mucklowe in This Country. We've seen her embroiled in a cat murder as Nic in Am I Being Unreasonable?. But soon we might see Daisy May Cooper filling the boots of none other than Dame Judi Dench as she's rumoured to play M in the next James Bond film.
The news comes after Daisy's nomination for Best Female Actress in a Comedy Programme at the TV BAFTAs for her performance in Am I Being Unreasonable?. And a night at the BAFTAs is nothing the actor's not used to – she already won the same award in 2018 for her performance in This Country, the hit sitcom she co-wrote and co-created with her brother Charlie Cooper, which ran for three series.
Now the comedy star is in talks with EON Productions to play one of the most iconic roles in the Bond franchise. M is a codename held by a number of fictional characters in Ian Fleming's James Bond book and film series, and was most recently played by Ralph Fiennes. While reactions to the rumours have been mixed, many fans are excited by the prospect of a comedy actor playing the role. “Daisy is a proper Rada-trained actress who everyone wants to work with,” a source told The Times. “She is funny, has bags of personality and is very hot at the minute.”
Daisy, 36, has apparently been put forward by friend and James Bond script consultant, Phoebe Waller Bridge. The Fleabag and Killing Eve creator was brought on board for 2021’s No Time to Die and has stayed on to help overhaul the franchise after Daniel Craig's departure. Daisy's name being thrown in the ring is another sign that James Bond might be moving in a more comedic direction – though if you've seen the special effects in some of the earlier films, it's arguably been slapstick for years.
Daisy, who shares daughter Pip, five, and son Jack, two, with ex-husband Will Weston, has been a regular on British TV since the enormous success of This Country in 2017. Her other projects include The Witchfinder, a BBC2 comedy set in the 1600s in which she appeared opposite Tim Key as a woman accused of being a witch.
Daisy was also one of the contestants in the Channel 4 gameshow Taskmaster in 2020, and is a team captain in Sky’s reboot of Never Mind the Buzzcocks.