Jack Lowden has been tipped as the front-runner to play the next James Bond, with 007 producers said to be 'strongly considering' the Slow Horses star. Speculation about who will take over from Daniel Craig has been rife for months and recently heightened after Amazon MGM Studios announced in May that auditions were finally taking place. Presenter Richard Osman has now teased that he has been told who is likely to take on the role. Speaking to his co-host Marina Hyde on the latest episode of his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment , Richard said: 'Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that's happened before. The name I've heard is Jack Lowden.'

Richard cautioned: 'It is definitively not a "he's definitely got it" thing. He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he'd be amazing.' Marina agreed, pointing out that at 36, Lowden is 'a good age. You have to have the longevity. They've got to do at least two movies and he's a good age for it.' Richard said the actor has 'real Daniel Craig energy', adding that he 'is such a brilliant actor. Can be funny, can definitely do action. I mean, I think he'd be sensational.'

Lowden, who also had a role in Christopher Nolan's epic Dunkirk, is set to star as another leading man, Mr Darcy in Netflix's anticipated Pride And Prejudice adaptation, coming to the streamer later this year. Lowden's wife, the actress Saoirse Ronan, has previously backed her husband for the 007 role. When she co-hosted a 2024 BBC Radio 2 show with Scottish DJ Edith Bowman, Bowman brought up her belief that Lowden would be a great choice for the iconic role, adding that she had been making a similar argument for years. In response, Ronan said: ‘I’m going to start counting how many times you plug him for Bond on the radio.’ When Bowman replied she had been doing so for six years, Ronan responded: ‘Hasn’t happened yet though,’ before adding: ‘there’s time, there’s time’.

Richard and Marina's podcast was discussing new research which reveals the public's top picks for Bond are Tom Hardy, 48, Henry Cavill , 43, and James Norton, who recently ruled himself out, admitting at age 41 he feels relieved he is now seen as 'too old'. The podcasters pointed out that the public can't necessarily be relied upon to pick the right actor. 'If you look back at every single James Bond that has ever been appointed, not a single one of them would have been chosen by the public, apart from maybe one,' said Richard, referring to 1995-2002 Bond Pierce Brosnan. 'You have to rely on the film producers to choose someone the public doesn't know they want... Daniel Craig definitely wouldn't have been chosen by the public. They were furious about it at the time.'

'That was Barbara Broccoli's call completely the Daniel Craig call,' Marina agreed. 'And it was really ballsy because everyone was like "what on earth are you talking about?" The second they see Casino Royale they're like "oh yeah, no you're right, that is the right call."' Bond producer Amy Pascal gave an update on the audition process last week explaining: 'We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow.' 'And it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different,' she added. In July, casting director Debbie McWilliams said 007 should remain white and male amid speculation that the character could be reinvented. McWilliams, who cast the previous 13 Bond films, said Ian Fleming 'wrote a character, and that's the character that stays'.