Bond. James Bond.
He’s the most famous spy in the world who really needs no introduction, but we couldn’t resist including that famous line.
And October 5 every year is Global James Bond Day to show our love for 007!
The date of James Bond Day comes from the World Premiere of the first James Bond film, Dr No, in 1962, in which Sean Connery played 007.
Check out the cool trailer!
James Bond the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, and the films are one of the longest continually running film series.
There’s been 25 official Bond movies made, and you can watch them on Amazon Prime, or rent them individually on Apple TV and Google Play.
Then you can decide who your favourite Bond actor is – Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig.
Our money’s on Craig, whose 16-year span of movies makes him the longest-serving Bond in the history of the franchise. Swoon!
@jamesbond007 Are we doing #BlueMonday wrong? #007 #Bond #JamesBond ♬ original sound – James Bond
Anyway, grab yourself a cool martini – recipes at the end – and find out why “James Bond” is boring, what theme songs have won Oscars, the Guinness World Records the movies have set, and how old 007 really is.
60 years of Bond
This year marks the 60th anniversary of James Bond franchise, and a fabulous highlights video was played at this year’s Academy Awards to celebrate.
It’s a terrific reminder of what makes James Bond so enthralling after so many decades and was a particularly wonderful tribute for Bond actors Sean Connery who died in 2020 and Roger Moore who died in 2017.
Watching it makes us eager to find out who will become the next 007!
A dull name for a suave spy
Most of us know Bond from the movies, but he started out as a character in Ian Fleming’s 12 spy novels. After Fleming’s death, other authorised writers took over the material to continue the series.
Now, no one would describe 007 as dull, but Fleming purposefully wanted a boring name for his spy.
Turns out Fleming was a keen birdwatcher and when coming up with a name for his main character, his eyes landed on a copy of a nearby book, Birds of the West Indies by James Bond.
He explained: “I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, ‘James Bond’ was much better than something more interesting, like ‘Peregrine Carruthers’. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department.”
James Bond’s true age
A fictional biography of James Bond by John Pearson puts Bond’s date of birth as November 11, 1920, making him more than 100 years old today.
Of course, with the movies spanning decades and not wanting to age him, he’s remained around the mid 40s. So his date of birth is always going to be fluid.
The actors who’ve played Bond have ranged in real-life age from 30 (George Lazenby in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) to 57 (Roger Moore in 1985’s A View To A Kill) while in the role.
As talk of the next Bond movie increases, producers have put to rest rumours that the actor who’ll take the famous role could be in their 20s in real life.
Michael Wilson told Deadline: “Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a thirty-something.”
The Oscar-winning music
The music is as much a part of the allure as Bond’s cars, gadgets and suits, and the theme songs have been winning awards.
In 2013 Adele and songwriting partner Paul Epworth won an Oscar for Skyfall, the theme song to the 2012 Bond film of the same name. The epic composition features a 77-piece backing orchestra and was voted as the best theme to a Bond film ever in an informal Billboard poll.
It was the first Bond theme song to win at the Oscars, with Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the Wall from Spectre winning an Oscar three years later and No Time to Die by Billie Eilish and Finneas taking out an Oscar in this year’s awards.
There’s also an Amazon Prime documentary showcasing all the music from the films, which looks great.
Not just any explosions, but record-breaking ones
The heart-stopping, perilous situations that Bond finds himself in (and the skilled ways he escapes) are part of the fun of the movies, and the epic stunts and explosions are legendary.
Case in point: Skyfall’s train fight opening scene. (Didn’t breathe once.)
So it’s no surprise the production team have set three Guinness World records for scenes in Bond movies, all with Daniel Craig in the role.
Spectre holds the record for the largest film stunt explosion, while Casino Royale set the record for the most cannon rolls in a car. And Craig’s final movie, No Time to Die, also set an explosion record.
How to make Bond’s famous martinis – yes, there are three!
We all know Bond loves his martinis shaken, not stirred, but did you know there’s been a few variations of his favourite drink over the years?
While the classic vodka Martini is his go-to drink of choice, Daniel Craig’s portrayal of Bond has introduced some twists on the classic.
In 2007’s Casino Royale at a high stakes poker game, Bond orders a Vesper Martini, inspired by sultry agent Vesper Lynd. And in 2015’s Spectre, James and love interest Madeleine Swann drink Dirty Martinis on a train.
Check out the recipes below.
Classic martini
2 measures vodka
Half to three-quarters measure of dry vermouth (depending on taste)
twist of fresh lemon peel
Shake to mix, pour into a martini glass, rub peel around the glass rim before placing it in the drink
Vesper martini
3 measures gin
1 measure vodka
Half measure Lillet Blanc or dry vermouth with a few dashes of bitters
twist of fresh lemon peel
Shake to mix, strain into a martini glass, rub peel around the glass rim before placing it in the drink
Dirty martini
3 measures vodka
1 measure dry vermouth
Half measure of olive brine
Olives to garnish
Shake to mix, strain into a martini glass, garnish with olives on a cocktail stick
