Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London in 1908. His first job was at Reuters news agency, after which he worked briefly as a stockbroker before working in Naval Intelligence during World War Two. His first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and was an instant success. Fleming went on to write thirteen other Bond books as well as two works of nonfiction and the children's classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Bond books have earned praise from figures such as Raymond Chandler, who called Fleming "the most forceful and driving writer of thrillers in England" and President Kennedy, who named From Russia with Love as one of his favorite books. The books inspired a hugely successful series of film adaptations that began in 1962 with the release of Dr. No. He was married to Ann O'Neill, with whom he had a son, Caspar. He died in 1964. Paterson Joseph is an award-winning actor who has been fascinated by Sancho for many years. He wrote and starred in the play Sancho - An Act Of Remembrance in 2018, which was staged in the UK as well as the US. A veteran of stage, TV and film, Paterson has appeared on The Mosquito Coast, an Apple TV+ original series, "Dr. Who," Noughts + Crosses, and other BBC programs. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is his first novel.