Licence to film: The unseen home videos of Bond star Sir Roger Moore

He had a licence to charm connected screen, with his sultry dependable and suave, chiselled bully looks. But successful private, histrion Sir Roger Moore - who played James Bond successful 7 films - was arsenic arsenic comfy down the camera.

A caller BBC documentary to aerial connected Christmas Day volition uncover never-before-seen location video footage, filmed by Sir Roger himself, of his household and precise celebrated friends - including histrion Kirk Douglas and vocalist Olivia Newton-John.

A young Sir Elton John is besides spotted descending from the skies successful a chopper acceptable for luncheon with Sir Roger and different personage guests - the likes of Joan Collins and David Attenborough.

Sir Roger's lad Geoffrey, who recovered the aged video cassettes successful the cupboards and store astatine his family's location successful Switzerland, remembers the gathering successful France well.

He played a crippled of tennis with Sir Elton, helium recalls, successful an exclusive interrogation for BBC News, earlier the vocalist flew disconnected to Cannes to movie the euphony video for his deed song, I'm Still Standing.

Sir Roger besides got down the camera to movie overmuch much intimate occasions with his 3 children - Geoffrey, Deborah and Christian - and their mother, his 3rd wife, Italian histrion Luisa Mattioli.

Bringing the memories of the past backmost to beingness again connected surface proved poignant for Geoffrey and his siblings.

"I deliberation the mode helium was conscionable filming was arsenic immoderate begetter would movie his children. It was conscionable a household feline recording, documenting a time," says Geoffrey.

"I deliberation it was besides due to the fact that [the camera] was a caller toy, truthful helium wanted to usage it."

Growing up, being surrounded by stars from the metallic surface was mean for Geoffrey.

"I mean [Frank] Sinatra was precise adjacent to the household and we utilized to walk a batch of Thanksgivings and Easters together. Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, they were each very, precise beloved friends."

Sir Roger's girl Deborah remembers her begetter couldn't support up with Frank Sinatra's drinking and would secretly determination his whisky into the works pots.

The household would ticker drama duo Morecambe and Wise connected TV connected a Friday night, says Geoffrey, and past Eric and Ernie would travel implicit for Sunday lunch.

He besides remembers gathering Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery - the archetypal James Bond - arsenic good arsenic stars from Hollywood's aureate age, specified arsenic Fred Astaire and Olivia De Havilland.

"I mean, if I deliberation astir however fortunate we were… to the constituent wherever adjacent Roger would say, 'Goodness, look astatine that, we've got Gene Kelly sitting there. Isn't that wonderful!'".

But contempt being surrounded by stardom, Sir Roger was precise "self-deprecating", says Geoffrey.

"I ever say, the bigger the talent, the smaller the limousine. And helium was incredibly humble," helium says.

At the extremity of a day's filming, Sir Roger would simply bask watching TV with his household successful his dressing gown and slippers.

"His dainty was baked beans connected toast," says Geoffrey. "He didn't request caviar."

Sir Roger came from humble beginnings. He grew up successful Stockwell successful southbound London. His begetter was a constabulary serviceman and his parent worked successful a tearoom. He crafted his aristocratic English accent astatine the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and earned wealth modelling knitting patterns.

His large interruption came successful 1962, playing Simon Templar successful the TV series, The Saint.

Geoffrey recalls the telephone telephone his begetter received erstwhile helium recovered retired helium had been chosen to instrumentality implicit the relation of Britain's astir celebrated concealed agent.

The past 3 digits of Sir Roger's telephone fig conscionable happened to beryllium 007.

"He answered the telephone with '007', due to the fact that that's what you do, and the dependable said, 'That you are Roger,'" says Geoffrey.

Sean Connery was the closest to writer Ian Fleming's depiction of the quality successful his spy novels, says Geoffrey, arsenic successful "I'm going to slumber with you and termination your brag tomorrow".

"Whereas, Roger didn't privation to occurrence a weapon really," says Geoffrey, "he conscionable benignant of killed them with charm."

He ever had a precise sardonic approach, says Geoffrey, and that was his interpretation, helium adds.

"Let's marque James Bond Roger Moore," helium says, "[as] opposed to Roger having to play a hired weapon who is licensed to kill. And I deliberation helium was much similar 'licensed to thrill.'"

This took an tremendous magnitude of talent, says Geoffrey.

Of the Bond films that starred Sir Roger, Geoffrey says his father's favourite was The Spy Who Loved Me.

Growing up connected movie sets was fantastic, recalls Geoffrey, but having James Bond arsenic your begetter attracted rather a spot of attraction connected the schoolhouse run.

When Sir Roger came to prime him up from schoolhouse 1 day, helium remembers the car was abruptly surrounded by pupils - keen to drawback a glimpse of the star.

"I thought, 'Oh, okay, he's known, I'm not the lone 1 that sees him connected the box,'" helium says.

But surviving successful the nationalist oculus could beryllium hard erstwhile determination was a scandal.

Geoffrey recalls a telephone telephone his begetter made to him 1 morning, letting him cognize the papers had got clasp of the communicative that helium was leaving his mother.

"I said, 'Well, acknowledgment for the heads up! How agelong person I got?'" says Geoffrey.

The property had already surrounded his mother's house. It creates "a tiny scar to spot that your symptom is exposed," says Geoffrey. "I deliberation that's the worst portion of being famous."

After his divided from Luisa, Sir Roger went connected to wed his 4th wife, Kristina Tholstrup, different known arsenic Kiki. He had besides been antecedently joined to histrion and nonrecreational crystal skater Doorn van Steyn and vocalist Dorothy Squires.

Sir Roger died successful 2017 astatine the property of 89. In his aboriginal years, histrion Audrey Hepburn had asked him to instrumentality connected her humanitarian enactment for the children's foundation Unicef, says Geoffrey.

"It says a batch astir his emotion for humanity, his emotion for children. And that, I think, is astir apt his top role."

From Roger Moore with Love will beryllium broadcast connected Wednesday 25 December astatine 21:00 GMT connected BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.