Rebecca Davis on the British actor who just scuppered his chance to be Bond.

My favourite James Bond of all time was George Lazenby, the former Australian model who lasted for a grand total of one film within the franchise. Producer Cubby Broccoli later described casting Lazenby as "my biggest mistake in 16 years", which I feel is both hurtful and misplaced.Lazenby was good-looking and charming, which is basically all you need to play Bond. I mean, this isn't King Lear we're talking about.That's why it's so enraging that outgoing Bond Daniel Craig has told every journalist who'll listen about how much he hates being James Bond. I'm not generally a fan of the phrase "First World problems", but in this case it seems entirely justified.Speculation is still ongoing as to who will step into Craig's shoes, but one of the frontrunners has been British actor Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston has just finished starring in what is rumoured to be the BBC's most expensive TV production ever: spy drama The Night Manager.story_article_left1The series is based on a novel by John le Carré, for whom the ending of the Cold War must have been the biggest buzzkill ever.The action is set in more modern times, starting with the turmoil in Egypt during the Arab Spring.Hiddleston plays a hotel manager who is passed information about an arms dealer - the "worst man in the world" - who is attempting to jeopardise the popular uprising by supplying vast amounts of weaponry to the other side.The arms dealer role is taken by Hugh Laurie, in his own British accent. Fortunate, because his American impersonation in House can be a little iffy.Hiddleston's character is subsequently recruited by a British government agency to go undercover and infiltrate the shadowy world of the arms dealers.If you're wondering what would equip a hotel manager to suddenly perform as a high-level spy: he used to be a soldier, conveniently enough. The show's first episode feels a bit half-baked, but it's worth sticking with. At a total length of six episodes, the pacing is as taut as the flickering muscles in Hiddleston's cheeks.I watched the series with part of my mind idly considering what Hiddleston would be like as Bond, since his character in The Night Manager is not dissimilar to that most famous of secret agents.I wasn't convinced.Hiddleston is a very attractive man, but his sexual liaisons within the show seemed a bit tepid. Besides, we now know that Hiddleston is not so much a ladies' man as one lady's man, after photos of him frolicking with new love Taylor Swift were plastered all over the internet.James Bond would not date Taylor Swift...