All eyes had been on Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston. Then TV hunks Richard Madden, James Norton and Aidan Turner entered the fray. However, new data just revealed that British punters have a hot new pick for the biggest role in cinema history. More bets have been placed on this Irish star than any other actor in the whole of 2019 so far. Is he about to score the biggest 'blinder' of his career?

A spokesman for Ladbrokes revealed: "No other actor has seen more bets placed on them playing Bond since the turn of the year.

"Punters seem to think the name'll be Murphy, Cillian Murphy, with the Peaky Blinders star's odds continuing to tumble."

Odds on the star have been slashed over the past week and Murphy is now firmly in the race to be the next James Bond on 10/1.

This may not seem impressive, but he has outstripped every other contender, many of whom have been in the race for years, in the last six weeks.