One James Bond Actor Just Returned As 007 — But Not in the Way You Think

You may think of Toby Stephens as the dad in the Netflix series Lost in Space, or you might still think of him as one-time Bond villain Gustav Graves, starring opposite Pierce Brosnan in 2002's Die Another Day. But, since 2008, Stephens has also been playing 007 himself. And now, after five years, he's back as James Bond in a new version of Casino Royale. But this is a version you'll never see; rather, you'll hear Stephens as James Bond with your ears.

Since 1990, BBC Radio 4 has created audio dramatizations adapted directly from the original Ian Fleming James Bond novels. Starting in 2008, with a new version of Dr. No, Stephens has been the incumbent voice of James Bond. And now, as of April 20, BBC Radio 4 has dropped a new dramatization, this time, a new take on the very first Bond novel, Casino Royale. You can listen to the whole thing right here, for free, on the BBC Sounds website.

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As with previous audio versions, Stephens' take on James Bond is utterly faithful to the Ian Fleming novels, making his version of the character perhaps one of the most underrated of all performances. As Bond, Stephens is pithy, dangerous, and relatable. Obviously, his connection to the Bond franchise as one of its villains is interesting, but in terms of a number of hours that Stephens has logged in the world of 007, he's played Bond for way longer than he ever played any other character. The vast majority of these audio dramas are adapted by Rosalind Ayres and Martin Jarvis.

If you're curious about previous audio adaptations, you can listen to the last Toby Stephens James Bond adventure, which was 2020's take on The Man With the Golden Gun, which is over on Spotify.

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