I think Daniel Craig is a great choice. A little bit old for the whole "Bond begins" idea but a great choice none the less. Been waiting for the series to go back to it's grittier roots for a while now. I'm one of the only people who thinks The Living Daylights is one of the best Bond films but Goldeneye was a decent film so I'm glad Martin Campbell is back behind the camera. Personally my dream casting would have been either James Purefoy or Gerard Butler but i have faith Daniel Craig will wear the tux and Walther PPK with pride and bring the series back to its heights. Timon Singh, Liverpool

Somehow this one just feels right. Daniel Craig is a good actor with great range. And the Bond franchise desperately needs to take risks after the last outing - Die Another Day easily being the worst Bond film ever. No doubt the producers are aware that Craig doesn't look quite the polished article. Yet this could actually work in his favour, provided the producers smarten him up enough the way the original crew did with Sean Connery (the story goes that Dr. No director Terence Young took the working-class Connery to his Saville Row tailors, then ordered the young actor to sleep in his new suit, to get the feel of the part he was now to play). In reality America needs to be sold on this move, and the best we can hope for is that Craig develops the character's sense of humour enough in the way the otherwise excellent Timothy Dalton didn't. Daniel Clee, Wellingborough

Terrible idea. I've never understood why Jeremy Northam wasn't on the list of possibilities; I think he'd make a splendid Bond. Patricia Miller, Alexandria, VA, USA

Daniel Craig is the best choice for Bond by a million miles. He is an excellent actor, is wonderfully attractive and sexy - and he looks as though he really could do whatever was necessary including kill someone if he had to. I can't wait. Madeleine Chawner, Twickenham

It's a shame that the one iconic English character which we can feel genuinely proud of, and which makes the rest of the world slightly upset they weren't born an Englishman, looks like a charmless big-issue vendor. Surely there are English actors who combine both strength and sex appeal? No doubt he was "fantastic" in Our Friends in the North and "smouldering" in some BBC Mr Darcy role, but any self respecting Bond Girl would die laughing if our Shrek-a-like hero tried his luck in an obviously out-of-character monkey suit. Nick Perkins, Washington DC, USA

It's funny how it's all Americans who seem to be complaining that Craig isn't "smooth" enough to play Bond, while us Brits are welcoming for the dangerous edge that he will bring to the role. A minor cultural difference, perhaps, but I think it tells you a lot about what each country wants from its heroes. Bond is a Brit, and as such he shouldn't be the airbrushed creature the Americans seem to want him to be. Kat Dibbits, Manchester

I think you have to give him a chance to prove himself. He has the height and the looks, except for the hair. Remedy it with a black hair coloring and voila! the new James Bond is born. I must say, though, that my favorite Bond was always Sir Sean Connery. And even after Bond, old and no hair, he is still a sexy man. Marie Martinez, Miami

Craig is a brave choice. He does the hard man/hurt man thing better than any other current actor He will bring depth and a dark sexiness to the character. Anyone who has seen Our Friends in the North (best BBC drama ever) must agree. Alison Clark-Jenkins, Stockton-on-Tees

When the producers told United Artists back in 1962 that Sean Connery was their choice the reply was "do better". There still hasn't been a better Bond than him. Daniel Craig will fall in to either the "Lazenby/Dalton - he was good but not that popular" category or the "Moore/Brosnan - he was all right but was really popular at the box office" category. My only suggestions would be he needs either Roger Moore's hair dye or one of Sean Connery's toupees and a tailor from Saville Row. Clark Shaffer, Colombia, MD, USA

I think Mark Strong who was also in Our Friends in the North would have been a better choice, being dark, Saturnine and tough. The name's Strong, Mark Strong! Brian O'Connell, Liverpool

Terrible choice. Balding and blond do not a Bond make! I would have chosen Colin Farrell. Fred Keller, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"My name is Blond - James Blond. And this is Ms Europenny. I like my Horlicks boiled, not stirred. I don't smoke and I drive an eco-friendly car." Is it not about time that this tired formula, which is beyond parody, was laid to rest? Sean Connery was the real OO7 and all others were cheap imitations. Anyway, with the news that MI5 has launched a website, it seems the mystique and glamour has gone out of espionage. I wish Daniel Craig well, but he should aim higher. John O'Byrne, Dublin

As a lifelong fan of the books and films I was pleasantly surprised when I read this morning's news that the new Bond was undoubtedly talented Daniel Craig. Craig will bring a welcome addition to the character, more akin to Fleming’s character in the books. Although Pierce Brosnan has been a huge asset, whose abilities and style served to refresh the role after Dalton, his portrayal of 007 lacked the raw edge Bond needed. Sean Connery’s version certainly had that edge. I am hoping that with the latest reincarnation the producers and director will look to drop the reliance on witty one-liners and allow Daniel Craig to do what he does best – a multi-layered, dark and brooding delivery, much akin to Matt Damon’s excellent Jason Bourne. Richard Katon, Southampton