The television star and crime fiction author said he was not able to develop a career in the secret services, however, because he had failed the "fun" tests he was set and - in any case-would have been an awful spy.
"They just said, 'No, it's fine"," he said of the end of the process, after he had spent time doing war-gaming scenarios and chatting to people "who got older and posher throughout the day".
He added: "I would have been terrible. I'm too tall [201cm/6ft 7in], not bright enough, and if I have a secret, I tell everybody. You could not find a worse spy... I cannot tell a lie."
This story is from the September 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the September 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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