Author Profile: David Leigh

Now SPECTRE has been in cinemas for more than a month in most territories I asked a number of prominent Bond websites, blogs and Twitter users some questions about the latest Bond film. Read below to find out what they had to say. Last year, just prior to the official announcement the 24th addition to the […]

1965 was a turning point for James Bond. As well as seeing the publication of Ian Fleming’s last full-length novel, it also saw the self proclaimed “biggest Bond of all” hit the big screen. And in between the publication of The Man With The Golden Gun in April and the release of Thunderball in December, as Bondmania was reaching its […]

The weekend’s estimated box office take, released by Rentrak yesterday, puts SPECTRE just short of $800 million globally.  The 24th Bond film weighed in at $28.4 million worldwide over the weekend, putting in in the number three spot. However in the US/Canadian domestic market it fell to $5.4 million, putting it into fourth place. To date […]

Want to know what 007 drinks in SPECTRE? Here we take a look. James Bond has been associated with booze ever since Ian Fleming first set about writing Casino Royale. While the Vodka Martini has become synonymous with 007, Bond consumes a variety of drinks. While this is particularly true of the books, it is true of […]

It has been announced that Gabriele Ferzetti, who played as Marc-Ange Draco in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service opposite George Lazenby, died yesterday at the age of 90. A prominent figure in Italian cinema frin the 1950s on, Ferzetti’s first leading role came in 1950 in the film Lo Zappatore. He portrayed Puccini twice in 1953 […]

It is now over 50 years since the premiere of Dr No, the very first Bond film, with Sean Connery introducing 007 as the glamorous secret agent who would become the single most profitable movie character in the history of cinema. But James Bond was invented by one man, Ian Fleming, a wartime intelligence officer […]

Ian Fleming’s life was just as dramatic as that of his fictional creation, James Bond. Andrew Lycett’s direct access to Fleming’s family, friends and contemporaries has enabled him to reveal the truth behind the complicated facade of this enigmatic and remarkable man. With an extraordinary cast of characters, this is biography at is best – […]

In 1963, Ian Fleming, the creator of the 20th century s greatest fictional character was in court, accused of plagiarism. The screen version of James Bond was not Fleming s creation. It was the creation of Jack Whittingham, who was employed by maverick producer Kevin McClory to adapt the character to the big screen. Had […]

Robert Harling’s recently published memoir of Ian Fleming sheds further light on James Bond’s creator. Buy from Amazon UK One book that seems to have largely flown beneath the radar over the last few weeks is Robert Harling’s personal memoir of Ian Fleming. Harling was a typographer, designer, journalist and novelist who knew Fleming well. They […]

Barbara Broccoli recently said work on the next James Bond film will start in spring 2016, according a short interview published in German. Going back to the original interview in 20 Minuten, Broccoli says she hopes Daniel Craig will remain in the role, and that the films strike a balance between giving fans what they expect and offering something […]

The US Thanksgiving weekend saw SPECTRE pull in some decent numbers with a 15% drop compared to the previous weekend, according to Forbes. Adding another $12.8 million in the domestic market over the weekend, SPECTRE has now earned $176.1 million in North America, where Forbes predicts the film is set to earn $215 million. While that is […]

This weekend saw SPECTRE exceed $677 million worldwide, having taken $524 internationally and $153 million in the domestic North American market. In North America the latest James Bond movie slipped into second place this weekend, behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. The domestic take of SPECTRE is estimated to have dropped to $14.6 million, down from $35.4 million last weekend and $71.3 […]

A look at the black and grey NATO strap worn by Daniel Craig in SPECTRE. If you’ve seen SPECTRE you may have noticed the black and grey striped nylon strap on which James Bond wears his Q-Branch provided Omega watch throughout most of the film. The strap is available separately from Omega but, unfortunately for […]

Although not expecting much from this slender volume, it turns out to over-deliver. A handy pocket companion for all Bond fans. Buy from Amazon UK or Amazon.com. Back in the 1980s I once bought a Bluffer’s Guide. It was fun, but very superficial.  Short. It covered modern art, just a sentence or two for each […]

By the time A View To A Kill was released in 1985 I was over 007. The last James Bond movie I’d seen on the big screen was For Your Eyes Only (1981) and by the time Octopussy came out two years later I decided to stick with the Connery films and the books. Available from […]

Recently I asked readers of to leave an audio message for me with a question or comment about SPECTRE. Thanks to everyone who got involved in this experiment, which you can listen to below:

SPECTRE is estimated to have grossed $543.8 million worldwide by Sunday according to figures reported this morning. In North America the film has now taken $130 million, with the box office for its second week estimated at $35.40 million, down from $71.3 million in the opening weekend. Internationally SPECTRE is now on release in 92 territories and earned $152 million over the […]

Released in 1995, Goldeneye proved to be a key entry in the James Bond series. Among the various reasons for its importance, not least was ensuring 007’s survival. The film heralded many changes for the James Bond series. First of all Goldeneye introduced a new James Bond in the shape of Pierce Brosnan. It also introduced a female […]

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James Bond’s cars usually need some pretty extensive work by the end of the film, which is probably why comparison site MyCarNeedsA.com asked me too propose my top 5 Bond cars.  Obviously Aston Martin has to go in there, but how can I avoid only including Aston Martin cars? Wet Nellie is almost as iconic as the DB5, so […]