Richard Madden would make a 'phenomenal' James Bond, says Keeley Hawes

Keeley Hawes has backed Bodyguard co-star Richard Madden to be the next James Bond after the actor became the favourite for the role.

Hawes, who played Julia Montague in the hit drama, threw her weight behind the Scottish actor who has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Daniel Craig as the iconic spy.

The actress, 42, told the Radio Times that Madden would be “phenomenal” as a replacement for Craig, who will bow out after Bond 25 following five films as 007.

“I said to Richard while we were shooting, ‘This is like James Bond!' I would love to see Richard playing James Bond; I would love that,” Hawes told the publication.

Crossing her fingers, she added: “I think he would be phenomenal.”

Last year, Madden said that he was “flattered” to be linked with the role but “didn’t want to curse anything” by talking too much about it.

The actor, 32, told GQ: “I’m more than flattered to be mentioned, for people to consider putting me in that role.

"I’m very flattered and thankful. It’s a really brilliant thing to be in.

“I don’t want to curse anything by saying anything. I think that’s the curse of that. If you talk about anything, you’ll curse it.”

However, he appeared to dismiss any involvement at the time by saying that he was the “current rumour” and that conversation would move on, with actors including Idris Elba also being linked to the role.

Bodyguard – which starred Madden as security officer David Budd – proved a smash-hit for the BBC as it pulled in incredible viewing figures, both live and streamed. It later aired in the US on Netflix.