Well as you can see on the previous page Roger and I met up again on the set of “For Your Eyes Only” and he was just as delightful and co-operative as he was before. He never seemed to tire of being asked to do things for his fans which I think is one of the reasons that he has so many. This time I was not serving in the restaurant but just sneaking in on to the set whenever I could get there. As I had a part time job I seemed to find quite a bit of time to spend there and even managed to get my mother in once again. The part they were filming on this occasion was where Roger had to hang on to the wings of a light aircraft while it was in the air. The set was very elaborate, obviously the aeroplane was standing on the ground and all the background was blue so that other things could be edited over the top when the first part was finished. Well Roger found my mother and myself a convenient corner to stand in and we were watching avidly as Roger climbed on to the wing of the plane which he had to cling on to while wind turbines blew in his face to make the appearance of the plane flying, people below were rocking the plane rather like they did in “The Spy Who Loved Me” when they were on the train. So the plane was rocking back and forth and the wind was blowing a gale in Roger’s face. Three times they took the shot with the camera at different angles and when Lewis Gilbert said to Roger, one more time, Roger lost his cool a bit. This was the first time I had witnessed this; and said B******s and walked off the set, my mum was so shocked that her lovely Roger could come out with such a word, I think that she was speechless for the rest of the afternoon.

In the photo that you can see on the previous page where Roger has signed it, it says, “I am saying cheese”, when in fact he was saying Shiiiiit. Which is why I had such a silly grin of my face.

One scene that was being rehearsed when I visited was where Roger was in a swamp disguised a crocodile. It was quite a shock as when I walked in all I could see was this big, dark, pond with artificial trees and bushes around it, then out of the water came this croc and Roger lifted the head off. It was such good timing for me to arrive just at that moment. He did it a few more times then the scene was filmed and I am forever boring any of my family when we see the film by telling them that I was there when it was shot. Rather like I do every time we watch “The Spy Who Loved Me”. I repeatedly let them know what is coming next and just where I was standing when anything happened, I think that they are considering banning the films in the house altogether. I also was lucky enough to be on the set when they filmed the fight on the roof, in “For Your Eyes Only” where Roger and one of the villains fell through the stained glass window. I had a photo taken with him sitting on the huge table in that scene, with the window intact behind us. By the way the blonde crook who had the fight with Roger and whose name escapes me, was very nice, so was the young man who was on Topol’s side and who got killed on the wall leading to the monastery. It is very hard to believe that these men who play such hard villainous people in the films really are very nice people. My mum took a real shine to him.

Also at this time I noticed that Roger had no laces in his shoes so I asked him what had happened and he told me he had to use them to climb the mountain. I hadn’t seen this particular shot being filmed but when the film came out, there it was, Roger taking out his shoe laces to enable him to climb the side of the mountain. Topol was also very prominent in quite a lot of the scenes that I watched and he was a very special man. John Wood was Roger’s stand in again and he still thought that he was God’s gift, its funny how the higher up the ladder you are the nicer you are but the people lower down the ladder thought that they were better than every one else.

Roger and I had become quite good friends by this time and were on first name terms, which made me very happy. He always seemed to be delighted to see me when I arrived and made sure that I was in a good position to see all the goings on. He is a wonderful man and the work he is now doing with Unicef proves that it is not just skin deep. He is a true humanitarian and deserves, unreservedly, all the accolades that he receives and I hope he receives many more.

Roger Moore, Doreen and her mum, the first photo they have with him

I have one dream left now that is that if ever I am lucky enough to win the big one on the lottery, that he will present me with the cheque. Not too much to ask don’t you think?

Moving to Wales twenty one years ago put a stop to my visits to the studios but I still continue to send him Birthday and Christmas cards. Last year I made one on my computer of two of the photos that have been printed here, but in the original colour and he sent me a hand written card, with his address and telephone number on it, thanking me. Now that is a treasure I will never part with. I did reply with a very long letter saying things that I had not been able to say to him for twenty one years. I did not expect him to reply, although one lives in hope. Perhaps one day he will sit down with pen to paper again and think of me and send another letter, that’s a dream that I can work on next.

I think that is all that has happened between us but I must admit that when I showed any of my friends the photos of us together I did exaggerate just a teeny bit and say that we were lovers! My mother framed the picture that she had and when anyone came to her house and mentioned it she told them that he was her nephew. Just a few white lies but the rest is true. Read it and be jealous.

To Roger with all my Love.

Doreen Whiting

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