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Jonathan Sothcott looks at the seven Sir Roger Moore films that you should have in your collection

- Jonathan Sothcott

NORTH SEA HIJACK (1980)

The ultimate Roger Moore film, and his answer to The Rock, plays like a very British Die Hard on an oil rig, as Moore's triumphant Rufus Excalibur ffolkes ("two small ffs") takes on Anthony Perkins' frosty terrorist gang for the fate of the oil business. Moore owns the screen, despite strong performances from Perkins and James Mason as the admiral of the fleet, and the fun he has playing the bearded, cat-loving, woman-hating, misogynist counterterrorism expert, whether decked out in a tweedy Inverness cape or a vermilion frog suit, is a joy to watch.

A stirring soundtrack by Michael J Lewis and expert direction from Andrew V McLaglen (who also helmed The Wild Geese) help make this a true British action classic. Moore read the galley proofs of the source novel Esther, Ruth & Jennifer at the behest of author Jack Davies, no doubt a clever ruse to get the actor excited about the character. Given the contextlessly oblique title Ffolkes in the US, this never quite broke out beyond Europe which is a real pity as there were plans for a series.

THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF (1970)

When I first met Roger, it was to record a DVD audio commentary for this then-forgotten 1970 classic. He had mentioned his fondness for the film which had slipped into late-night TV obscurity in interviews, so it's arrival on DVD afforded an opportunity to get him (and executive producer Bryan Forbes) into a studio to share their memories. The arrival of this DVD two decades ago catapulted the film to its now cult status, not least because a major star like Roger got behind and contributed to the release on a format then in its infancy.