Idris Elba more likely to play Del Boy than James Bond after flurry of bets

Idris Elba could indeed be set to play a British icon on screen – but not the one the one he was hotly-tipped for.

Bookies have seen the price driven up on the actor to play Del Boy instead of James Bond, in the latest odds.

Elba’s In The Long Run coupled with rumours of the small-screen return for the legendary Only Fools and Horses have sparked a surge in bets.

According to Ladbrokes, the Luther lead is 9/2 to be the next Del Boy but still at 8/1 for the next 007 agent.

The bookmakers believe that Elba’s London roots have him in “pole position” for the gig should it return, with an announcement to revisit the legendary sitcom by the end of the year priced at 3/1.

Elba, 45, stars in upcoming Sky comedy In The Long Run, which he has written and created set in 1980s London.

The six-part programme, by Elba’s own admission, contains moments of “casual racism” in multicultural society and nods back to a time people were “thicker-skinned”.

Speaking to Radio Times he said: “It's good that that's come across because in early, early talks that was something I wanted to be upfront about.

“I wanted people to be reminded that, as PC as we all are now - which is fine, it's good - we were thicker-skinned back then."

He added: "Not that it makes casual racism right, but actually in the long run we all got along with it."