On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler and Brendan Duffy are joined by film historian Dr Llewella Chapman, author of Fashioning James Bond: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007. Dr Chapman joins us to talk about her excellent new book on the costumes of James Bond, her upcoming BFI Film Classics book about From Russia With Love, and much much more. For 35% off Fashioning James Bond: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007 , order it from www.bloomsbur...
Jan 27, 2022•1 hr 8 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley take a deep dive into the making of 1963's 'From Russia With Love', starring Sean Connery as 007. The episode explores: How the producers of 'Dr. No' cooked up the first ever 007 sequel, and how the success of the first film impacted it. How the script was developed, who the key crew who worked on it were, and the introduction of Desmond Llewelyn as Q. How Sean Connery's renegotiated his salary, and f...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 15 min
On this festive episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley dive headfirst into the spoilers of 'No Time To Die'. With the 25th James Bond film now out on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K and digital, it's finally time to share our thoughts on all the twists and turns of Daniel Craig's final 007 film. We also talk about the future of Bond, and what we're hoping to see. There are also a couple of quizzes just for fun as we celebrate Noel Time To Die. James Bond will re...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 14 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by British filmmaker, and CEO of Shogun Jonathan Sothcott Films. Jonathan joins us to talk about his love for the James Bond films of the 1980s, particularly John Glen's 1981 debut 'For Your Eyes Only'. He shares his favourite scenes, characters and moments, and offers his filmmaker insight into the importance of the film. He also shares anecdotes about working with Sir Roger Moore, Christo...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley and joined by special guest Stu Rolls (@SOLTS007) to take a deep dive into the making of 1981's 'For Your Eyes Only', starring Roger Moore as 007. The episode explores: How the film attempted to reboot expectations of the James Bond films following the excesses of 'Moonraker'. How Roger Moore played a high-stakes game with producer Cubby Broccoli over his fifth outing as Bond. How John Glen was promot...
Dec 09, 2021•1 hr 50 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics under the letter F. In this show you'll learn about: Tom Ford, the fashion designer who dressed Daniel Craig's Bond in 'Quantum of Solace', 'Skyfall', 'Spectre', and 'No Time To Die'. Marc Forster, the acclaimed filmmaker who directed 'Quantum of Solace', but found himself fighting an uphill battle in production. George MacDonald Fraser, the Scottish scree...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 10 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by author Raymond Benson, the writer of 'The James Bond Bedside Companion', and the 007 continuation stories 'Zero Minus Ten', 'The Facts of Death', 'High Time To Kill', 'DoubleShot', 'Never Dream of Dying', and 'The Man With The Red Tattoo'. Raymond joins the team to talk about the research he did into Ian Fleming for his essential Bond Bible 'The Bedside Companion'. He talks about meeting...
Nov 25, 2021•56 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley explore the life and work of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The episode looks at his privileged upbringing, education and early forays into employment, first as a journalist and then as a stockbroker. Then it looks into Fleming's forays into the world of espionage, and his work during World War II in Naval Intelligence. Finally it explores his post-war life and the events that led up to the creation ...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 35 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle filmmakers, characters and topics under the letter F In this show you'll learn about: Patricia Fearing, the Bond girl portrayed by Molly Peters, who appeared in 1965's 'Thunderball' opposite Sean Connery. Bruce Feirstein, the writer who was instrumental in updating James Bond for the 1990s, and has credits on 'GoldenEye', 'Tomorrow Never Dies', 'The World Is Not Enough' and a number of 007 vide...
Nov 11, 2021•54 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics from the letter E. In this show you'll learn about: The Eady Levy, a lucrative tax break for British-made films that ensured the James Bond films were made in the UK forever more. How Idris Elba, the British actor perennially linked with being the next 007, was originally connected to the role. Robert Elswit, the acclaimed cinematographer who lensed 'Tomor...
Nov 04, 2021•56 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast - the last one on the letter D - hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics from the letter D. In this show you'll learn about: Dolly, Jaws' diminutive girlfriend in 'Moonraker', portrayed on screen by Blanche Ravalec. The character was a controversial addition to the series, and is the centre of a bizarre conspiracy theory. Domino, the memorable character portrayed by Claudine Auger in 1965's 'Thu...
Oct 28, 2021•52 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by Melanie Williams, Professor of Film and Television Studies, at the University of East Anglia to talk about 'Dr No'. The author of 'From Blofeld to Moneypenny: Gender in James Bond' joins the podcast to talk about the life and work of 'Dr No' co-writer Joanna Harwood. Melanie shares insight into the aspirations of Joanna Harwood, and how she became involved with Harry Saltzman, 'Dr No' an...
Oct 21, 2021•56 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley take a deep dive into the making of the very first Bond film: 1962's 'Dr. No'. The episode explores: How Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli landed the rights to adapt Ian Fleming's novels for the screen, and how they landed on Sean Connery to be the first movie 007. How they decided which book to adapt first, and the team of screenwriters that brought it to life. The team of creatives assembled for the...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 32 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley take a break from the usual routine to discuss 'No Time To Die', Daniel Craig's fifth and final James Bond film, which is in cinemas now. Tom Butler attended the world premiere, Brendan Duffy saw it at a press preview screening, and Tom Wheatley saw on general release at his local cinema and were keen to share their experiences and opinions with each other. This reaction episode is entirely spoiler fr...
Oct 07, 2021•49 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by journalist, film critic, and co-host of the Clash of the Titles podcast Chris Tilly to talk about 'Die Another Day'. Having reviewed Pierce Brosnan's 2002 swansong for Hot Dog magazine, and visited a number of 007 film sets, Chris was keen to come on talk about this bonkers Bond film. Chris tells us about seeing 'Casino Royale' stunts being filmed, and being on set when the title of 'Qua...
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 21 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley will be shining a light on the story behind Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final Bond film 'Die Another Day'. In this wide-ranging show which covers the making of the 2002 film you'll learn about: The film's status as the centrepiece of a huge year of celebrations as the Bond films celebrated their 40th anniversary. Who the key creatives were, how they were assembled, how the script developed and how the...
Sep 23, 2021•1 hr 56 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by author, journalist and film critic Xan Brooks to talk about 'Diamonds Are Forever'. In 2012, Xan wrote a story for the Guardian in which he named Sean Connery's 1971 007 swan song as his favourite ever James Bond film, so we invited him on to tell us why. Xan talks about his love for James Bond films, and explains why he described 'Diamonds Are Forever' as: "the Bond series' unlucky numb...
Sep 16, 2021•1 hr 5 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley go off-script for an informal and spoiler-free chat about the upcoming release of 'No Time To Die' The team discuss whether the film will really hit its release date this time, share their thoughts about the new trailers and tie-in promotions, hopes for the film. They discuss their most anticipated scenes, characters, set pieces, tropes and more, and talk about their hopes and expectations for Daniel ...
Sep 09, 2021•55 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley do a deep dive into the making of Sean Connery's final official outing as James Bond: 1971's 'Diamonds Are Forever'. In this wide-ranging show you'll learn about: The context in which this film was made, how Sean Connery was lured back to the role, and the other actors they considered for 007. How the script was developed, who worked on the film, and why the majority of it was shot in America. The tea...
Sep 02, 2021•1 hr 47 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics from the letter D. In this show you'll learn about: Sir Roger Deakins, the award-winning cinematographer of films such as 'Blade Runner 2049', '1917', 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'Fargo', who earned an Oscar nomination for his work on 2012's 'Skyfall'. Len Deighton, the acclaimed spy fiction writer on 'The Ipcress Files' who had many brushes with Ian Flemi...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr 22 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by James Page, the co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential, and co-host of the James Bond & Friends Podcast, to discuss the legacy of Timothy Dalton. The gang discusses Dalton's resurgence among fans, and the impact of his two films. They also decide Dalton's best action scene, his best Bond villain, his best kill, his best Bond girl, his best one-liner and his best non-Bond film....
Aug 19, 2021•52 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley further explore the life and work of Timothy Dalton, the fourth actor to play James Bond in the movies. Covered in the first part of this two-part special: 'Licence To Kill', the James Bond that took the series in a bold new direction, but would ultimately be Dalton's last outing as 007. Timothy's performances after 'Licence To Kill' which he did while he waited for his third Bond film to come unstuck...
Aug 12, 2021•1 hr 27 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley explore the life and work of Timothy Dalton, the fourth actor to play James Bond in the movies. Covered in the first part of this two-part special: Timothy's early life, school days, and entry in the world of acting. Timothy's acting education at RADA and the National Youth Theatre, and his first forays on the stage and screen. His breakthrough roles in the acclaimed historical drama 'The Lion In Wint...
Aug 05, 2021•1 hr 11 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics from the letter D. In this show you'll learn about: Bibi Dahl, the figure-skating Bond girl played by Lynn-Holly Johnson who challenged the paternal instincts of Roger Moore's autumnal 007 in 1981's 'For Your Eyes Only'. Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming's WW2 contemporary who went from ace fighter pilot to children's author to screenwriter on 1967's 'You Only Live ...
Jul 29, 2021•51 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by author, journalist, podcast producer, and co-host of the Bestsellers podcast (twitter.com/bestsellerspod) Natalie Jamieson (twitter.com/Nat_Jamieson), who came on to talk about Daniel Craig. With years of experience as an entertainment journalist at the BBC and many other places, Natalie has crossed paths with Daniel many times, interviewing him at junkets and on the red carpet, for many...
Jul 22, 2021•1 hr 1 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley continue to explore the life and work of Daniel Craig, the sixth actor to play James Bond in the movies. Covered in the second part of this two-part special: The making of 'Quantum of Solace', a film beset with production issues, that had Daniel stepping in to help with the script. His Broadway debut, and his acting purple patch that saw him working with the finest filmmakers in Hollywood including Da...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 43 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley explore the life and work of Daniel Craig, the sixth actor to play James Bond in the movies. Covered in the first part of this two-part special: Daniel's early life, school days, and entry in the world of acting. Daniel's acting education and first forays on the stage and screen. His breakthrough role in 'Our Friends In The North', and his subsequent rise as a sought after character actor via parts in...
Jul 08, 2021•1 hr 27 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley are joined by filmmaker and author John Cork to talk about his work within the world of the 007 films. John is the co-author of the James Bond Encyclopedia with Collin Stutz, James Bond: The Legacy with Bruce Scivally, and Bond Girls Are Forever with Maryam d'Abo. Also with Bruce Scivally he has written, produced, and directed more than 30 documentaries for the DVD and Blu-ray releases. John is also a...
Jul 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley tackle more filmmakers, characters and topics from the letter C. In this show you'll learn about: Bill Conti, the Oscar-winning 'Rocky' and 'Karate Kid' composer who composed the score for 1981's 'For Your Eyes Only', and its title song, sung by Sheena Easton. Chris Corbould OBE, the Oscar-winning special effects coordinator who has worked on eleven James Bond films including 'No Time To Die', along w...
Jun 24, 2021•1 hr 8 min
On this episode of The James Bond A-Z Podcast hosts Tom Butler, Brendan Duffy, and Tom Wheatley go off-script for an informal chat about the James Bond films of the Sean Connery era. First of all the team reveal their rankings of Connery's seven 007 films from 'Dr No', 'From Russia With Love', 'Goldfinger', 'Thunderball', 'You Only Live Twice', and 'Diamonds Are Forever', to 'Never Say Never Again'. Then we look at Sean Connery's best and worst moments as Bond, we speculate what films Connery wo...
Jun 17, 2021•55 min
