Odds slashed on Jamie Bell becoming the next James Bond after flurry of bets

Who could be James Bond?

• 1/7 Idris Elba

  Ever since the notion of him taking the part was raised, poor Idris Elba has been plagued by questions asking if he’d ever take the role. At 43 he’d be a later-years Bond, and his key roles of Stringer Bell in The Wire and DCI John Luther are more gruff and burly than previous 007s, but there’s plenty of goodwill out there for him to do it. And he’d stop getting asked about it every five minutes.

  bb

• 2/7 Tom Hiddleston

  If people didn’t already think that Tom Hiddleston could be a great Bond, his recent role in the BBC’s John Le Carre adaptation The Night Manager nudged him even further into the 007 rumour-sphere. He’s got the suave look, the cut-glass accent, and is primed for the next step up in his career

  BBC

• 3/7 Aidan Turner

  He’s less stacked than Daniel Craig, but Aidan Turner would make a great Bond with hints of Timothy Dalton’s sharpness. The swooning reception to Poldark proved he could be a screen heartthrob, and his simmering, snarling turn in Agatha Christie adaptation And Then There Were None showed he could pull of a tux and a bowtie in devastating fashion

  Mammoth Screen

• 4/7 Tom Hardy

  He’s been rumoured for the part, but it’s hard to picture Tom Hardy as Bond – he’s a knockout at playing rough-and-ready troubled men and has significant range, but it would be an about-turn for him to go slick after his animalistic roles in The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road

  20th Century Fox

• 5/7 David Oyelowo

  With his appearances in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Interstellar, David Oyelowo has already flirted with the classier, more thought-provoking end of big-budget blockbusters. At 40, he’s slightly older than your typical Bond actor, but he’d be great at bringing an icy calmness to 007’s core

  Paramount Pictures

• 6/7 James Norton

  Between War & Peace, Happy Valley, and Grantchester, James Norton has had a brilliant 2016 so far. At 30 years old he’s the perfect age for Bond, and his recent TV work has shown he can be heroic and harrowing in equal measure

  Rex

• 7/7 Damian Lewis

  Following his transatlantic success in Homeland, Damian Lewis has been raised as a potential Bond candidate – but at 45, he’s probably a bit old for it now. Still, he’d be the first redhead to play the role

  Showtime