In the 1950s, armchair naturalists knew Maxwell Knight as a pioneering wildlife broadcaster. But TV’s avuncular birdwatcher had another life – as the likely inspiration for ‘M’, James Bond’s spy chief.
Some of the children at Putney Vale Primary could not quite believe it when they heard who was going to be formally opening their new school. It was 1956, and for any British child with even a passing interest in the natural world, one of the most familiar voices on the radio was Maxwell Knight.
During the 1950s alone, Knight featured in more than 300 radio programmes and 40 television shows. He wrote 20 books about both natural history and the many different pets that he had kept, ranging from a cuckoo to a bear.
When opening the school, this avuncular naturalist did not disappoint. He answered every question, told funny stories about different animals, and even brought along one of his pets. Yet some teachers may have been confused, perhaps, to see this softly spoken figure depart in a large, black, chauffeur-driven Hillman, a vehicle so often associated with government officials.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2018-Ausgabe von BBC Countryfile Magazine.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2018-Ausgabe von BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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