Andrew Cook

He was almost certainly a murderer several times over.

And that wasn't in the field of combat or espionage.

That was killing his first wife's husband.

There was another death.

of a flatmate in St.

Petersburg, I think in 1911, which enabled Riley to get his hands on this guy's money.

He's a confidence man, he is an espionage agent, but he is just 110% a fascinating and magnetic character.

Without a shadow of a doubt, his story found its way into Ian Fleming's head, and it never left Ian Fleming's head.

And I think it inspired Fleming to create James Bond.

And Fleming then went forward and hoovered up all kinds of stories and characteristics to graft into the James Bond character.

But I think, yes, that's unintentionally Sidney Riley's biggest epitaph that he more than possibly lit the flames within Ian Fleming's very, very creative mind that led to the creation of James Bond.