For Your Eyes Only: Sir Roger Moore’s Unseen Home Videos

He had a license to be charming on screen, with his sardonic voice and suave, chiseled good looks. But privately, actor Sir Roger Moore – who played James Bond in seven films – was just as comfortable behind the camera.

A new one A BBC documentary broadcast on Christmas Day The never-before-seen home video will feature footage, filmed by Sir Roger himself, his family and very famous friends – including actor Kirk Douglas and singer Olivia Newton-John.

A young Sir Elton John has also been seen descending from the sky in a helicopter ready to have lunch with Sir Roger and other celebrity guests – the likes of Joan Collins and David Attenborough.

Sir Roger’s son Geoffrey, who found old video cassettes in cupboards and garages at his family home in Switzerland, remembers the gathering in France well.

He played a game of tennis with Sir Elton, he recalled in an exclusive interview for BBC News, before the singer flew to Cannes to film the music video for his hit song, I’m Still Standing.

Sir Roger also got behind the camera to film more intimate moments with his three children – Geoffrey, Deborah and Christian – and his mother, his third wife, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli.

Reliving the past on screen proved thrilling for Geoffrey and his siblings.

“I think the way he was filming was like any father would film his children. It was just a family man, documenting a time,” says Jeffrey. are

“I think there was a reason for that. [the camera] There was a new toy, so he wanted to use it.”

Growing up, being surrounded by silver screen stars was normal for Jeffrey.

“I mean. [Frank] Sinatra was very close to the family and we spent Thanksgiving and Easter together. Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, they were all very dear friends.”

Sir Roger’s daughter Deborah remembers that her father could not keep up with Frank Sinatra’s drinking and would secretly pour his whiskey into plant pots.

Geoffrey says the family will watch comedy duo Morecambe and Wise on Friday night TV, and then Eric and Ernie will come over for Sunday dinner.

He also remembers meeting Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery – the first James Bond – as well as stars from Hollywood’s golden age such as Fred Astaire and Olivia de Havilland.

“I mean, if I think about how lucky we were … even Roger would say, ‘Well, look at that, we’ve got Jane Kelly sitting there. Isn’t that amazing!'” .

But despite being surrounded by stardom, Sir Roger was very “self-deprecating”, says Geoffrey.

“I always say, the bigger the talent, the smaller the limousine. And he was incredibly humble,” he says.

At the end of a day’s filming, Sir Roger would enjoy watching TV with his family in his dressing gown and slippers.

“His treat was baked beans on toast,” says Jeffrey. “He didn’t need caviar.”

Sir Roger came from humble beginnings. He grew up in Stockwell, South London. His father was a police officer and his mother worked in a tea room. She developed her Old English accent at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and earned money by modeling knitting patterns.

His big break came in 1962, playing Simon Templar in the TV series The Saint.

Geoffrey recalls the phone call his father received when he learned he had been chosen to take on the role of Britain’s most famous secret agent.

The last three digits of Sir Roger’s phone number were just 007.

“He answered the phone with ‘007,’ because that’s what you do, and the voice said, ‘That you’re Roger,'” Jeffrey says.

Sean Connery was closest to author Ian Fleming’s portrayal of the character in his detective novels, Jeffrey says, as “I’m going to sleep with you and kill your boss tomorrow”.

“Whereas, Roger didn’t really want to shoot,” says Jeffrey, “he just killed them gracefully.”

Geoffrey says he always had a very sarcastic style, and this was his interpretation.

“Let’s make James Bond Roger Moore,” he says.[as] Roger is opposed to playing a hired gun who is licensed to kill. And I think he was ‘licensed for sensation’.

Jeffrey says it took a lot of talent.

Of the Bond films Sir Roger starred in, Geoffrey says his father’s favorite was The Spy Who Loved Me.

Growing up on film sets was fantastic, but having James Bond as your father attracted a lot of attention at school races, recalls Geoffrey.

One day when Sir Roger came to pick him up from school, he remembered that the carriage was suddenly surrounded by pupils – eager to catch a glimpse of the star.

“I thought, ‘Oh, well, he knows, I’m not the only one who sees it on the box,'” he says.

But staying in the public eye can be difficult when there’s a scandal.

Jeffrey remembers a phone call his father made to him one morning, telling him that the papers had picked up on the story that he was leaving his mother.

“I said, ‘Okay, thanks for the heads up! How much time do I have?'” says Jeffrey.

The press had already surrounded his mother’s house. This “creates a small scar to see that your pain is exposed,” says Jeffrey. “I think that’s the worst part of being famous.”

After his separation from Louisa, Sir Roger married his fourth wife Christina Tholstrup, otherwise known as Kiki. He was also previously married to actress and professional ice skater Dorne van Steen and singer Dorothy Squires.

Sir Roger died in 2017 aged 89. Jeffrey says that in his later years, actress Audrey Hepburn asked him to do humanitarian work for the children’s charity UNICEF.

“It says a lot about his love for humanity, his love for children. And that, I think, is probably his greatest character.”

With love from Roger Moore It will be broadcast on Wednesday 25 December on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 21:00 GMT.