Edward Fox in ‘Never Say Never Again’.

Edward Charles Morrice Fox, (born 13 April 1937) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is generally associated with the role of an upper-class Englishman. He is known particularly for playing the title role in The Day of the Jackal (1973) and for his portrayal of Edward VIII in the television miniseries ‘Edward and Mrs Simpson’ (1978).

In 1983’s Never Say Never Again, it is clearly stated that there is a new M, played by Edward Fox. This M is concerned primarily with making the books balance and constantly testing agents. He is quite open about his low regard for Bond. Film dialogue establishes that since he took over MI6 from a previous M, he has rarely used the 00-section, and at one point another official requests he “reactivate the 00s”.