An actor who was born in Coalville and went to school in the area is the new favourite to take over from Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.

The odds on Tom Hopper becoming 007 have shortened this week, with William Hill now making him 3-1 to take over in the famous spy role.

Hopper, is currently edging out Tom Hardy and Richard Madden, according to the bookmaker's website.

The 36-year-old was born in Coalville and attended the Newbridge School.

However, he then became a student at Ashby School.

According to Wikipedia, this was where he first developed an interest in acting.

He enrolled in a drama class and appeared in a production of the musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.

Most recently, Hopper has appeared in a number of high profile TV productions.

He joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones as Dickon Tarly.

In 2018, Hopper appeared alongside Any Schumer in I Feel Pretty and, a year later, he played Luther Hargreaves in Netflix production, The Umbrella Academy.

For the role, Hopper wore a muscle suit to achieve the correct look and underwent martial arts training.

Also in 2019, he joined the cast of Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard before a role in the 2020 film SAS: Red Notice.

William Hill spokesperson Rupert Adams told the Express: "It looks like we have been caught on the hop here.

"Yesterday morning Tom Hopper was completely off our radar, but he's firmly on it now.

"The gamble suggests that he is almost certainly on the shortlist."

The newspaper adds: "It is important to note that, currently, the Bond shortlist has been kept a complete secret by 007 bosses Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.

"With that said, the massive volume of bets suggests Hopper could be a real contender going forward."