SIR ROGER MOORE has said that his so-called ‘racist’ comments about the possibility of a black James Bond were taken “out of context” by Paris Match magazine.

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According to the Huffington Post, the magazine asked Moore about the prospect of Idris Elba playing James Bond.

He was quoted as saying it seemed “unrealistic”:

Although James may have been played by a Scot, a Welshman and an Irishman, I think he should be ‘English-English’. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting idea…but unrealistic.

“A few years ago, I said that Cuba Gooding Jr would make an excellent Bond, but it was a joke,” Moore added.

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The comments did not go down well, with many people asking how Elba, who was born and raised in London, did not qualify as ‘English-English’:

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Moore has since denied making any such comments, tweeting that what he really meant was “lost in translation”.

When asked to clarify what he meant by the comments, Moore said that he was referring to the character’s nationality, and had not been asked about Idris Elba at all.

Previously: Here’s your first look at the new James Bond film>