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Fans of James Bond will be looking forward to the release of the next instalment in the ever-popular film franchise.

Spectre is due for release later this year and, along with other new film, TV and music releases, will help give the economy an $80 billion boost, according to reports.

The current 007 is, of course, played by actor Daniel Craig.

If the star is a household name in 2015, he certainly wasn’t when he played the idealistic dreamer Geordie Peacock in the hit 1996 BBC TV series, Our Friends In The North.

The nine-part saga, which also starred relative unknowns Christopher Eccleston, Mark Strong and Gina McKee, was set on Tyneside.

The series told of the life journey of the four friends from youthful optimism in 1964 to middle-aged cynicism 30 years later.

Filmed around Tyneside, Our Friends became a small-screen classic, but what of the Daniel Craig, the future James Bond?

Andrew Glancey, of the People’s Theatre in Heaton, acted as the rising star’s vocal coach at the time.

He told us in 2006: “Acting was Daniel’s real passion and he was fully focused on his career, so when I heard he’d been cast as Bond I was really pleased for him.”

Andrew added: “A national critic commented on the accents and said it was clear Daniel and one other actor were the only two real Northerners who had been cast. I laughed my socks off.”

Originally asked to work just a few weeks with the cast, Andrew ended up spending a whole year on set, in which time they all became very close.

He said: “It was a smashing time, one of the highlights of my life. I basically guided them on the path to Geordiedom.

“It was a little bit of an adventure and great to see behind the scenes of such a big drama production, and we also had a canny time around Newcastle, visiting pubs, clubs and having the occasional late night in the hotel bar.

“Daniel’s a Southerner so he was very keen from the start to make it as absolutely real as possible.

“He didn’t want to let anyone down, least of all the people he was representing. He did a fantastic job.”

As well as giving Daniel taped scripts, Andrew encouraged him and the rest of the cast to watch shows like Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and comedy routines by Bobby Thompson.

They also had nights on the Toon.

Andrew recalled: “The whole crew would go out. We would trawl the town, round the Quayside, Grey’s Nightclub, the Stage Door, skirting round the Bigg Market. We even went to the Tuxedo Royale.

“Dan was smashing, just a regular guy really. When we did scenes in London I would go round his house or we’d go out for a few drinks, so I got to know him a little bit personally.”

Playing James Bond, Daniel sips Vodka Martinis, but on the set of Our Friends of the North he didn’t care what drink was shaken or stirred .

Andrew said: “He’d drink whatever anyone else was having. Pints mostly, and even a bottle or two of Newcastle Brown Ale when we visited the clubs in Ashington.”

Clearly, Daniel Craig is even cooler than we thought he was...