Bond By Numbers

Six Bonds walk into a Blockbuster Video... this might be the start of a bad joke but it's also the premise of our fanciful discussion for Ep.40! What will they rent? What confectionary is collected at the counter? Do they rewind the tape? The variables abound as Josh, Scott and Jeff wax hypothetical on this singular topic so grab your membership cards and join BBN for some weekend rentals!

Our seasonal survey of "3 Non Bonds" kicks off with Josh's selection, 1996's "Mission Impossible". The teaser poster forewarned audiences to "expect the impossible"... which is another way of saying "suspend your disbelief, a whole lot of crazy is on the way"! And yet, the production confidently came in under budget and ahead of time. Most critics warmed to the performances and the ambitious vision of De Palma's slick, complex thriller but veteran fans and cast members of the original TV show stood aghast. Hold on to your facemasks, everyone, "Mission Impossible" is about to get some BBN treatment.

Our first What If? episode renders a range of scenarios spanning from the intriguing to the incredulous. We unleash our roulette and empower it as casting director in charge of the Bond Ladies. Every film is subjected to its spinning whimsy and judgement. There probably aren't enough polite disclaimers to cover this one - trust a toy wheel and you'll get what you deserve!

"The First James Bond Director"... that's the starting point for most of us in regarding Terence Young. Credited with schooling Sean Connery in the ways of cool, Young was at the helm for three of Bond's first four adventures so it's impossible to downplay his impact on the franchise. In Episode 37, BBN looks back on the career and contributions of Terence Young in this first panel discussion on the 007 directors.

Kick the mud off your shoes, store your drink and buckle up, friends! Season 2 of BBN enjoys an early launch here with a quarantine-enabled chinwag over some favourite car chases. Join your hosts as they shift gears through the varied terrain of this much-loved 007 topic!

Dry-clean the evening wear, Bond fans, it's awards season! Yes, the finale of BBN’s inaugural series sees the panel join forces and butt heads over their evaluations of all things EON. Cars, gadgets, locales and all the rest – we’ve got you covered. Who’ll earn a coveted spot and who’ll be sent home in a Citroen C2V? Play along and join in the fun as Josh, Scott and Jeff say farewell to Season 1 in style!

With a script tailored to his unique brand of 007, Roger Moore delivered what many feel was his best of seven EON performances. Complemented by outstanding stunts, evocative sets and the world's largest sound-stage, TSWLM is still held up as a favoured instalment. Nevertheless, controversies loom large like Liparus over elements of production. Grab your ticket for the Good Ship BBN and let it guide you through the fabled fathoms of Moore's third Bond adventure! All aboard!

Regarded by its author as a "cautionary tale" (...uh, sure, okay Ian...) Bond's 1962 literary adventure, set in leafy upstate New York, is anything but classic 007. Narrated by a vulnerable female protagonist trapped in a motel with libidinous ghouls, "The Spy Who Loved Me" has more in common with Hitchcock's "Psycho" than the EON production of the same name. Maligned by critics and fans alike, Fleming's experimental novel is here put through the BBN apparatus ahead of their upcoming review on the 1977 film. So, fill up the Vespa and sharpen the ice-pick, it's time to meet Vivienne Michel!

Expectations were high when Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" hit the shelves in 1963. The anticipated follow-up to "OHMSS" did, indeed, return James Bond to the field after tragedy befell him but how fitting was the resolution? Set exclusively in Japan, this controversial conclusion to the Blofeld trilogy is as much travelogue as dramatic denouement. Asking a lot from his readers, Fleming straddles dangerously the boundary between his own indulgence and his audience's satisfaction. Bowman & the BFG unpack the pages in this fulsome conversation, originally recorded in November 2016.

Given Ian Fleming's fascination with Japan, detailed for readers in his final novel, it was destined that the cinematic Bond would soon delve into the culture's offerings. But with a new director at the helm, a tiring star in the lead and diverse challenges facing the production team, no one knew how "You Only Live Twice" would measure up to previous successes of Sean Connery's 007 run. Join BBN as the panel katana-cuts through the franchise's fifth instalment with ambitious precision and offers up a generous serving of sake... at 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit, of course!

If "Casino Royale" marked the cool and understated edge of a careful new spy writer courting the literary scene, then "Live and Let Die" was that writer's caution-to-the-wind stag party. Rowdy and unforgiving, Fleming's follow-up narrative offers high adventure, colourful characters and social commentary deeply rooted in challenging cultural conceptions. In spite of its shortcomings, "Live and Let Die" is regarded by many critics and fans as the finest of the Fleming Bond plots. So what's the deal? Join Bowman and the BFG as they explore the workings of this much-discussed story.

Roger Moore's first outing as 007 remains, for many fans, his best. Reading Blaxploitation trends of early '70s cinema, Saltzman and Broccoli gambled on there not being a better time to adapt Ian Fleming's racially-charged second novel. The film was a financial success and heralded Moore's hold on the role for a new era. From cultural misappropriation to Bond sans Barry, inflated villains to catalytic convertors, BBN plows the poppy fields of this controversial instalment.

LTK's deviation from typical Bond formulae remains as much a matter of controversy now as it did 30 years ago. Some welcome its impulsive punches and sing praises for its fresh, revenge-driven plot. Others find Dalton's second and final outing too gritty and imitative of 80s action themes to celebrate with comparative canonical ease. Charter your planes and fuel your transports, the BBN crew is going rogue to settle the score!

If you like your spy adventures with a taste of the sea then "Dr No" is the novel for you! Aside from its Caribbean setting, complete with coastal breeze and moonlight sailing, Fleming's 6th effort deviates from the sublime to the ridiculous with a fauna-heavy plot featuring centipedes, spiders, magnified fish and giant calamari. But wait, there's more! Like a backdrop of colonial politics and agent reconditioning, not to mention a handless master villain looking to upset the mental health of world powers. Grab your paddle and take a trip to Crab Key with the BBN crew as they review one of Bond's most unlikely and trepidatious holidays.

Apart from early adaptations for broadcast radio and television, 1962 marked the true event horizon for James Bond. It was here, with Dr. No, that 007's genetic code was written. Iconic on screen, iconic in team, the ingredients for franchise success evolved out of a shared ambitious vision and a tight million-dollar budget. So come aboard and keep your eyes peeled for blind mice and dragons as the good ship BBN sails through the curious waters of the first Bond motion picture!

Adored by few, reviled by most, "Die Another Day" offered audiences and Bond fans alike a ticket to 007 crazy town. But just how troubled is this reputed stinker? Are there enough "slivers of maybe" to help justify the disbelief that we were forced to suspend with Brosnan's fourth and final outing? Josh and Scott soften the sofas and brandish the inkblots as they "analyse this" 40th anniversary paradox.

With the exception of the villain's name and the implication of rockets, EON's 1979 production of "Moonraker" shares little in common with its literary antecedent from 1955. Ian Fleming's cold-war novel might not have blasted its characters off into space but it certainly hit the peaks and troughs of spy thriller excitement, further strengthening his (and Bond's) name in the publishing world. Here, your BBN hosts close down a gunbarrel double-bill with a full analysis of this third and very unique 007 novel.

Encouraged by listener request, this latest tie-in episode changes the literary menu from piecemeal-tapas to full-flavoured stew! Scott & Josh's deep-dive discussion of Fleming's "From Russia With Love" from May 2016 pairs nicely with BBN's recent film review and is presented here in updated full fashion. Пожалуйста! That's right, BBN listeners, "you're welcome!"

It was only a matter of time before Roger Moore's trend-jumping Bond wound up on a spaceship. Hoping to cash in on the sci-fi craze of the late 1970s, "Moonraker" remains, to many fans, one giant leap too far in narrative and canonical credibility. Still, few can deny the impact of the awe-inspired Ken Adam sets, the ethereal punch of John Barry's score and the location hopping that unlocked the inner-adventurer in us all. With so much crazy packed in to one film, you'd be excused for needing a guided tour! So zip up your spacesuit and hop inside the "good shuttle BBN" - we've got your first-class voyage covered!

When retcon rides sidecar to fan-service along the poached narrative road of a surveillance empire's sinister takeover, you know you're in for a bumpy journey as a Bond fan. Critics called it crap but EON called it Spectre! Daniel Craig's fourth outing is probably his most contentious but how much of the "style over substance" complaint is warranted? Beware the cuckoo and step inside the nest as your BBN hosts untangle the tentacles of this complex canonical cephalopod!