York was ready to be shaken not stirred today as James Bond hit town. Well, not Daniel Craig himself, but his lookalike, Steve Wright.
He’s in the between 11am and 2pm on Wednesday, October 3, starting at St Helen’s Square, ahead of Global James Bond Day on Friday. It’s to publicise the return of a Kaboom firework show to York this year.
Kaboom are the people who did those fantastic city centre spectaculars many years back, when all the people of Guy Fawkes’ home city gathered to watch the pyrotechnics shoot from Clifford’s Tower. This year Kaboom is hosting an event at Rawcliffe Country Park on Sunday, November 4. All the flashes and bangs are to be choreographed to music from James Bond – hence today’s appearance of Daniel Craigalike Steve.
But how did he become a 007 double? And more importantly, what’s it like being married to the man who’s a spit of the legendary superspy?
Not bad actually, according to Steve’s wife Stacy. She was the one who spotted the resemblance while they watched Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond.
Being in an Abba tribute band herself Stacy knows the potential of a good lookalike. She took some pictures of Steve, sent them off to a few people and “within a week he was jetting of to St Tropez”.
How do other women react when they know she’s Mrs James Bond? “I get comments: ‘You’re lucky’. Some of them are quite personal and saucy, I can’t repeat them to be honest!” said Stacy.
Some girls must throw themselves at him. “I’m sure they do. You’ve got to have trust. Sometimes I go with him, it’s quite good fun – I listen to what the people are saying, especially the girls.
“I did overhear one say, ‘He loves himself, doesn’t he?'”
Steve takes part in stunt shows where he beats up the bad guys, and has made a few TV appearances, including on Harry Hill’s TV Burp. He’s even been hired to surprise a woman on her birthday by emerging from the sea in the south of France in only his trunks (Steve that is, not Harry Hill).
“He was supposed to come up and wish her a happy birthday,” Stacy recalled. “He went swimming out to sea and had to wait till they were ready.
“We were waving at him to come into shore, but he thought we were signalling for him to go further out. By the time he came back to the beach he was shattered.”
Steve played an extra on set in Quantum of Solace, meeting both Craig and York’s own Dame Judi Dench™, who plays M. “She was very professional and very nice,” Stacy said.
Stacy met Steve on a cruise ship. She was one of the entertainers, he was a photographer. They’ve been married 13 years and live in Norfolk.
It’s a long way from York – “Norfolk’s a long way from anywhere,” Stacy points out. “Steve’s been to York before, he’s looking forward to it.
“He keeps telling me how lovely it is. One day Mr Bond might take me there!”
- More pictures and videos on Steve’s website here
- As well as her Abba work, Stacy plays a 1940s singer Miss Kitty Collins