Oscar-winning actor Riz Ahmed has alleged that British intelligence services attempted to recruit him on three separate occasions, with one approach coming from a senior figure at the BBC. The 43-year-old British Pakistani star, known for politically charged films such as The Road to Guantanamo and Four Lions, shared the claims in an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, a former schoolmate.
Details of the Alleged Approaches
Speaking on Hasan's Zeteo platform, Ahmed described the encounters as 'inherently comedic.' The first incident occurred upon his return from the Berlin Film Festival premiere of The Road to Guantanamo in 2006. After landing at Luton Airport, he was detained, placed in an arm lock, and had his phone seized. Officers allegedly asked, 'Did you become an actor to further the Muslim struggle?' before suggesting he work for them, which he declined.
The second attempt came through a family friend, which Ahmed found unsettling. The third involved a high-ranking BBC executive who had recently left the corporation. Ahmed did not name the individual.
Inspiration for New Series
Ahmed made these revelations while promoting his Amazon Prime series Bait, which follows a British-Pakistani actor approached by MI5 while auditioning for James Bond. He confirmed the show is heavily inspired by his own experiences with espionage. The series is among the first Bond-related projects from Amazon after it acquired the franchise rights in February 2025 for a reported $1 billion.
When asked if he would play Bond himself, Ahmed joked, 'I decided to drop a very subtle hint by making a TV show about an actor auditioning to be James Bond and making it for Amazon MGM. Inception.'
Career and Background
Ahmed, an Oxford graduate, began his film career with The Road to Guantanamo, portraying one of the 'Tipton Three'—British Muslims falsely accused of terrorism and detained for two years. He later starred in Four Lions, a dark satire about would-be suicide bombers, and has appeared in blockbusters like Rogue One, Venom, and Sound of Metal, for which he became the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. In 2022, he won an Oscar for the short film The Long Goodbye. Last year, he led a modern British-South Asian adaptation of Hamlet to critical acclaim.
