As Martin Kemp reveals 007 audition, which other celebrities have tried to become the next James Bond?

The Spandau Ballet bassist, who is currently on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! told his fellow campmates that he once had an audition for the role of 007.

While he didn’t get the job, he has starred in plenty of other projects, including TV shows Growing Rich, Family, and EastEnders.

Speaking about his audition on the ITV show last night (November 17) he said: “I was up for James Bond, I went and met Barbara Broccoli - I did that in my youth.

“It was Pierce Brosnan [who got the part].”

Hired in the 90s, Brosnan went on to appear in four Bond films, starting with GoldenEye (1995) and culminating with 2002’s Die Another Day.

It comes as rumours continue to circulate about who could be the next James Bond, following Daniel Craig’s departure from the franchise. Amazon has since acquired the series - and full creative rights - and is in the process of rebooting 007.

Denis Villeneuve, best known for his work on Dune, has been hired to direct the next Bond outing, with David Heyman and Amy Pascal as producers.

The bookies have listed actors such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner and Theo James as the most likely candidates this time around, with bigger names like Henry Caville and Idris Elba also still in the running.

As it turns out, Kemp is far from being the biggest name to have auditioned for the role of 007 in the past. Here are five other celebrities who were close to becoming the next James Bond.

Henry Cavill

Although he’s listed as a favourite for the part now, the Witcher and Man of Steel star actually auditioned in the early 2000s too, hoping to become the lead for Casino Royale (2005). Director Martin Campbell actually preferred him to Craig, but at 22 years old Cavill was considered to be too young for the role.

Hugh Jackman

The Wolverine actor was approached by MGM Studios for the role of 007 after Pierce Brosnan’s departure - and before the search had even begun for his replacement. However, Jackman turned it down to commit his future to the X-Men franchise, a decision that handsomely rewarded him in the long run.

Liam Neeson

Prior to Pierce Brosnan being cast in the mid-90s, producers were keen on getting Neeson in for the role. The reason he turned it down was that he didn’t want to become an action star, before going on to feature in Star Wars and lead action movie franchise Taken.

Adam West

Famed for his role as Batman in the 1960s - and later in Family Guy - West was approached to become James Bond while at the peak of his powers. He rejected the offer, believing that Bond should be British; coincidentally, fellow Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood reached the same conclusion.

Cary Grant

For the first James Bond film, Dr No, Cary Grant was the favourite for the role, and even had the blessing of author Ian Fleming. But he ended up at an impasse with producers - Grant wanted a one-film deal while they wanted to launch a franchise. Eventually, the part was given to Sean Connery instead.