Driver gets 'license to thrill'

Mark Higgins is not playing "one of the good guys"

Three-time British rally champion Mark Higgins has been given a "license to thrill" as he becomes a stunt driver in the new James Bond film.

The Manxman is currently in Italy filming The Quantum of Solace with Daniel Craig.

The 36-year-old said on his website blog: "It's fantastic to be involved with such a huge production even if I'm not playing one of the good guys!"

It is thought that viewers will be able to glimpse him in the final cut.

Another stunt driver had to undergo emergency surgery last week after he crashed Bond's Alfa Romeo on a winding road near Lake Garda.

The accident was the second on the Bond set in four days, after an Aston Martin skidded into a lake on Saturday.

The driver suffered minor injuries and the car was pulled from the lake.