He attended Hilbre High School, began acting there, and acknowledged the encouragement he received from his Heswall based drama teacher - three very good reasons for this local news site to outrageously claim Daniel Craig as one of our own.

You can find out more about his Wirral past by clicking or tapping here to find a feature from almost a year ago.

But history is not what we are concerned with now. On the last day of 2021 it is pleasing to report that Daniel Craig is the recipient of a much deserved new year's honour marking the enormous contribution his gifts have made to the worlds of film and television.

His CMG, making him a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, means that Daniel will possess the same award as that made to Commander James Bond CMG RNVR, the character created by Ian Fleming back in 1953.

This is a nice touch, because the CMG not only reminds us that this is an honour given to people who have 'given service of conspicuous national importance', but also that Daniel Craig brought layers of complexity and humanity to the character of Bond, which made his recent bowing out in 'No Time To Die' that much more memorable - and may well have prevented the Bond movie franchise being trapped in amber and forgotten.

What's more, recipients of a CMG are entitled to put the letters CH after their names.

Daniel Craig doesn't strike me as the sort of bloke who'd be bothered about such frippery, and has probably had enough of similar Ms and Qs and 007s into the bargain.

As he contemplates taking his career in new directions, let's remind ourselves of the astounding contribution Daniel Craig - and the Queen - made to the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2012, a time of optimism and national pride we all yearn for in these troubled times.

It's at the top of this page.

Happy new year to all. Here's to it being a good one.