Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Dr No

 

You don't look a day over, well 50...... is that really what we'd say if we happened to bump into Bond, James Bond, over the weekend? Ummmm no, probably not! Although the chances of him wandering into the Oakeley Arms on Saturday night are pretty slim. Not impossible tho; you never know!

 

October 2012 is the 50th anniversary of Bond, James Bond (sorry, I'll stop that now, I just can't resist) as we know him. In October 1962, the film version of Dr No stormed onto cinema screens. Of course, Ian Fleming wrote the books almost a decade earlier, but it is the on-screen Bond that most of us know and love.

 

Dr No was the first in a long string of Bond films; in fact, they are still being made, and it is one of the longest continually running film series' of all time. Skyfall is the most recent Bond film,  due to be released next week. Daniel Craig plays the ubiquitous Bond, a role he's held onto since 2006. Skyfall is the 23rd Bond film, and there are plans afoot for another to be released in 2014.
 

So far, there have been 6 different Bonds. Can you name them all? Look away now if you want to keep guessing....... Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and of course Daniel Craig.

Daniel Craig is the latest James Bond. Who's your favourite?

Image by wonderferret on flickr/wikicommons

And what about directors? There have been 10 different ones since Dr No. Absolute top marks if you can list all of these without looking.... Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Lewis Gilbert, Peter R. Hunt, John Glen, Martin Campbell, Roger Spottiswoode, Michael Apted, Lee Tamahori, Marc Foster and Sam Mendes. Phew.  

 

Eon Films is the production company behind most of Bond's on-screen antics; they've produced 22 of them, and the series so far has netted them a gross of US$5 billion.....

 

So, we'll raise a glass of Oakeley beer to Jimmy over the weekend. Here's to many more happy returns.....

 

 

Did you know.....

• Casino Royale was the first Bond book that Fleming wrote. It was published in 1953.
• Ian Fleming's middle name is Lancaster.
• The Bond books have sold over 100 million copies across the world.
• Ian Fleming has an airport named after him in Jamaica.

 

Skyfall is rumoured to be the biggest Bond production ever! Whether  or not it's the best is up to you to decide! It premiers on the 23rd October and will be at UK cinemas on 26th October. You can find more info and the trailer here