James Bond & Friends

What has been going on in the world of Bond recently?  In this episode, we cover the latest news and current events in the world of James Bond. With the long-lead articles about No Time To Die starting to drip out, we discuss the points raised by Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, and Ana de Armas in interviews. Along the way, we suggest some alternative approaches to publicity over the well-worn trope of being a 'different Bond girl,' catch Roger Moore in Black Widow, ponder if the 007 series has so much influence over the spy genre that there is no room left to move for upcoming properties, ask if the billion-dollar club is gone for good, and bask in David's statistics.  The recording took place on July 23rd, 2021 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  Paul Atkinson and James Page are co-founders of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com   Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson   Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at t

Have some of the Bond villains inspired real-world events?  In this episode, we flip the discussion of villainy as the world bears witness to billionaires shooting rival rockets into space. Oftentimes, real-world events have inspired the plots of James Bond films, but we ponder which Bond villain plots may have pre-empted real-world events? What did Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Nestle, microchip manufacturers, Newsmax, and the CIA possibly learn (allegedly) from Bond villains? Along the way, we discover Roger's television toaster, golden toilets, Elliott Carver's missing internet, unnecessary turns in space, and a real-world SPECTRE.  The recording took place on May 21st, 2021 in the USA and UK.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com   Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson  Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential   Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the Unive

How did the two games Agent Under Fire and NightFire succeed in capturing the essence of Bond?  In this episode, we revisit two of the best-loved James Bond games ever as they come up on 20 years since release. We uncover some strange development history and explore the overlap between the two games that were released in the shadow of GoldenEye but still found a huge audience away from the spotlight of Halo. Along the way, we discover jiggly boobs, a Neighbours connection, how the Moonraker novel was adapted twice the same year, and find the most obscure James Bond Jr reference.  As mentioned in the podcast, the online PC NightFire community is alive and well at nightfirepc.com, and the recommended PS2 emulator to play both games can be downloaded from pcsx2.net  The recording took place on June 17th, 2021 in the USA and UK.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Kim Justice makes documentaries about old computer and video games, mostly with a European slant, at youtube

In which film did each lead actor put in their best acting performance? In this episode, we try and anticipate the audience vote on which film enjoyed the best performance of each James Bond actor. Just looking at the performance of the lead role, and not the film as a whole, can we guess the results of the real-time Twitter polls, or will our panel's consensus reach different conclusions? The recording took place on June 11th, 2021 in the USA, UK, and Canada. James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Michael Boyce (@mwboyce) is a Professor of English and Film Studies and host of Geek 4 Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr  Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma  Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com  Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Who is in a Bond film for just a few moments but makes a big impact? In this episode, we each choose a character that is only in a James Bond film for a few minutes but makes a big impact on the adventure, the viewer, or the series as a whole. Along the way we stumble upon engagement rings, a non-human selection, witness Calvin tempt fate, and expand the sweeper guy universe. The recording took place on June 4th, 2021 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr  Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com  David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com   Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson  Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Why is You Only Live Twice unloved by most fans?  Following our recent You Only Live Twice watchalong, we revisit the question as to why the film with such iconic imagery and all the Bond ingredients fails to stick the landing and isn't that well regarded within fandom. Why is the sum of the parts not greater than the whole? We ponder if the character of James Bond himself has drifted too far from his introduction in Dr. No, whether the film has become a deep source of parody, the boldness of using Japan in 1967, or if the dream logic of the plot are contributing factors.  The recording took place on April 2nd, 2021 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr  Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com David Leig

How will the Amazon take-over of MGM affect the James Bond series?  With the news that Amazon will spend $8.45b to take over MGM, we discuss the potential ups and downs of having half the James Bond rights owned by a company with deep pockets. Will the film series see stability in the future with the rocky financial turmoil of MGM behind it, or could there be more drama ahead? Along the way, we ponder the impact of changing traditions, question the currency of nostalgia, and look forward to what could be.  The recording took place on May 26th, 2021 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com   Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger   Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

This episode we survey the book covers of ‘Goldfinger’, including the first edition by Richard Chopping. This strong graphic cover was apparently Chopping’s favourite Bond effort. After discussion of the first edition our panelists bring a cover or two to discuss, some with more artistic merit than others. Along the way we discover the boatman and the Styx, a jumbo rose, murder for art’s sake, dogs in the garden, the opposite of travel writing, design by the tea boy (in his tea break), David Lynch’s book covers, Matisse’s cutouts meet Picasso’s George Sanders, awards for the most megalomaniacal villain, when David last used gun in anger, sparkle filters, missing aviators, and piton guns. Covers discussed David's picks: Spanish cover 1 / Spanish cover 2 Ben's pick (Book Club 1959) Sean's picks: Turkish cover / Bantam US cover The recording took place on April 16th, 2021 in the USA, UK, Spain, and New Zealand. Paul Atkinson is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Sean Longmore sh

Join us as we watch 1967's You Only Live Twice together as a group experience.  With the essential ingredients dialed up to 11, is the film less than the sum of its parts? Along the way, we recall Terence Stamp's wild idea for the film, discover why they don't serve beans on submarines, ponder Bond's while you wait tailoring, recall a near decapitation, hunt for sunken car treasure, resurrect Q's label maker, discuss the joys of monorails and abandoned tractors, and debut Calvin's vocal performance as Blofeld's cat.  The recording took place on October 2nd, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  This podcast is copyright P

Is the Daniel Craig era responsible for a Timothy Dalton renaissance? With the ratings of his two James Bond films seeing a boost from 2005 onwards, we ponder what effect (if any) that Daniel Craig's tenure may have had on Timothy Dalton's appreciation within the fan base and wider audience. Along the way we question the urban legend that is Fleming's darker Bond and Dalton's strategy, recall what it was like to witness his launch back in 1987, ask what impact nostalgia is having on the era, and whether a dip back into the books in 2005 started this ball rolling... The recording took place on May 7th, 2021 in the USA and UK. James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger   Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr  Bill Koenig runs the

What did a year of lock down look like through the lens of James Bond fandom? With some of us slowly emerging from pandemic lock down, the panel reviews the past 12 months through the lens of James Bond fandom. What were the things that kept us going, and what were the newsworthy events of a year like no other? In this extended episode, we run down our selections from A to Z. The recording took place on January 1st, 2021 in the USA and UK. James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger   Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr  Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

What elements of the franchise make James Bond the spy we know and enjoy?  The panel discusses the key elements of James Bond from the novels to the films, identifying some of the things we believe makes 007 charming and successful. We share experiences of talking about Bond to non-Bond fans, some of them very close to us, and contrast our opinions about the relative quality of the films with those of our loved ones. We round out by talking about where to start to introduce a new reader or viewer to the franchise.  Along the way we revisit the sausage factory, discuss the ‘three [maybe two] Gs’, Bond’s seemingly limitless knowledge, the gamble that was Casino Royale, fan service failures, nostalgic nausea, brave decisions, artistic leadership, 24 ways of telling the same story, travelogues, globalisation, drinking, exotic Kentucky, musical puns, and shameless self-promotion.  The recording took place on March 26th, 2021 in the USA, UK, Spain, and New Zealand.  Paul Atkinson is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and

Join us as we watch the second half of 2015's Spectre together as a group experience.  We complete our SPECTRE odyssey as the second half picks up in Tangiers. Along the way, we ponder how much budget could have been saved with some cheese and a string, David gives packing advice, ponder promotions at Blofeld's call centre and question his paint choice, witness the world's biggest gender reveal, improve Stromberg's backstory, reveal how Sam Mendes ruined the ending, and Lisa finds the title for Bond 26.  The recording took place on September 18th, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

The panel reviews the original first edition artwork by Kenneth Lewis and the UK quad poster by Dan Goozee. Along the way they discover ‘70s wallpaper, panning for gold, Chekhov’s gun, narrowly avoided dramatic readings, missing rockets, salad spoilers, taxonomy rabbit holes, and space tuxedos. Covers discussed Sean's picks Pan cover 1 Pan cover 2 Peter's pick (US Spanish paperback) David's picks Vintage Pan (1970s) Ben's picks Croatian cover Folio society Posters discussed Sean's pick Peter's pick David's pick Ben's picks Italian poster US Teaser The recording took place on March 5th, 2021 in New Zealand, UK, Germany, and Spain.  Paul Atkinson is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Peter Lorenz runs the Illustrated 007 blog  Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger   David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com  Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021 

Join us as we watch the first half of 2015's Spectre together as a group experience.  Is the first half of Spectre better than the second? We break this four-act oddity in the franchise into two parts for this watchalong. Along the way, we ponder Bond's choice of phone contacts, discover an unlikely IT guy, Madeleine's 'meet cute' story, volunteer Bill to watch all the publicity material again, and stumble upon the reason Felix Leiter can't go to Cuba. The recording took place on September 11th, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Join us as we watch the next two episodes of James Bond Jr together as a group experience.  For this episode, we resurrect an oft-forgotten relic of the canon - James Bond Jr - as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Whether you grew up seeing it on TV, or have never watched it before, we over-analyze the contents of the third and fourth episodes and ask the questions nobody has before, such as: Which Felix is Gordo's dad? Who cemented in the Pentagon? What typeface makes its debut in the Bond series? Who prefers a rear entrance? What internet term applies to Gordo? And David cracks the problem of how to smuggle the world's largest diamond.  You can watchalong with us via these YouTube videos: Episode 03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SqaROscJXE  Episode 04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGs-5v3XdMM  The recording took place on January 8th, 2021 in the USA, UK, Spain, and New Zealand.  Paul Atkinson and James Page are co-founders of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Calvin Dyson

What tone and iconography did 'From Russia With Love' set for Bond marketing?  The panel reviews the original UK quad poster and bring to the table some other posters used to promote the 1963 film, many of which riff on the original artwork by Renato Fratini. Along the way, they discover misplaced weaponry, the size of Pierce’s silencer, visits to the ‘talkies’, Ben’s new glasses, the multi-Bond theory, prosthetic masks, the wrong Casino Royale, film fonts from the early noughts, Red Grant’s poor job satisfaction, Connery’s Lego haircut, fake legs, font crimes, and greengrocers in the ‘90s.  UK Quad: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster1.jpg  Sean's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster2.jpg   David's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster3.jpg  Ben's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster4.jpg  Peter's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster5.jpg  The recording took place on February 12th, 2021 in New Zealand, UK, Germany, and Spa

Which movies did the Bond celebs select in their communal Top 5?  For this episode, author Mark O'Connell joins us to explain his project to survey cast members, crew, authors, academics, and experts from the world of James Bond on their personal top five 007 adventures. We count down the results and compare to how the general public voted, and exclusively reveal the film that didn't quite make the celebs’ cut. Share your selections with a photo of your hand-written list and tag it #Top5Bonds on Twitter or Instagram.  The recording took place on February 12th, 2021 in the USA and UK.  James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Mark O'Connell's home base is markoconnell.co.uk  Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

What is the legacy of Richard Chopping on Bond's look and feel?  The panel takes a look at the first edition of 'From Russia, With Love' by Richard Chopping. Why is it such a striking piece of art and how did covers that followed it emulate it? Then, each panelist introduces another dusk jacket or cover art for the same title worthy of praise, or merely of interest.  Along the way, the panel discovers mysterious murders, art behind the Iron Curtain, the disappearing comma, and Soul Bass Bond.  Peter's pick   Sean's pick  Ben's pick  David's pick  The recording took place on January 29th, 2021 in New Zealand, UK, Germany, and Spain.  Paul Atkinson is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential  Peter Lorenz runs the Illustrated 007 blog  Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger   David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com  Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential  This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021 

What alternative James Bond histories would we most like to see?  For this episode, the panel wonders what could exist with a single twist of fate in James Bond history. Take a peek into worlds that didn't happen as we explore the butterfly effect of the 007 timeline. We are joined for the first time by author Mark Edlitz whose latest book 'The Lost Adventures of James Bond' uncovers unmade, unseen, and forgotten 007 history.  The recording took place on January 29th, 2021 in the USA and UK. James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr Mark Edlitz is author of 'The Many Lives of James Bond' and 'The Lost Adventures of James Bond' This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021