The Austrian-German actor, 56, stars in ‘Alita: Battle Angel’, which airs on Channel 4 this evening. The two-time Oscar winner plays Dr Dyson Ido who reawakens a dormant cyborg named Alita. The futuristic being, played by Rosa Salazar, discovers her lethal fighting capabilities as she is targeted by other cyborgs. The science-fiction adventure, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is adapted from the Japanese manga series of the same name.

Christoph is best known for his roles in the films of legendary American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

He bagged two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards for ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’.

As well as drawing attention for his acting work, Christoph has also raised eyebrows with his comments away from the camera.

In a throwback interview from 2017, two years after he played a Bond Villain in ‘Spectre’, the star waded into the debate over who should play the next James Bond.

Speaking to menswear magazine Mr Porter, he addressed the polarising issue of whether the next Bond should be female for the first time.

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The magazine said the actor was “playfully incensed” as he gave his blunt response to the question.

He said: “Why? Because [Italian feminist journalist] Oriana Fallaci said so?

“Come on. Have your own movie if you want. Why does it have to be James Bond?

“What would be her first name? Jemima? My answer is decidedly not.”

Christoph has his own connection with the Bond franchise, having played Blofeld in ‘Spectre’.

“Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

It has not yet been confirmed who will step into Daniel’s tuxedo for the next instalment of the franchise.

Although it is unclear whether Bond will be played by a woman for the first time, there was a historic first for women in ‘No Time to Die’.

The film saw the 007 codename taken on by Lashana Lynch’s character Nomi, a newly arrived special agent.

In a double-whammy, the star was the first female actor in the history of the film series to take on the role of 007, and the first black actor to ever play 007 too.

On ‘The One Show’ before the release of the latest film, Lashana said: “Nomi is so overly confident and suave and ready to take over the world.

“As soon as she became a 00 agent, she was ready to put her stamp on what it means to be a black woman in MI6, to represent her community, much like I do in my own life, and to actually give people a run for their money.”

‘Alita: Battle Angel’ airs on Channel 4 from 9pm-11:30pm tonight.