Written in haste so it could be released in advance of the Coronation of King Charles, there were concerns that Higson’s ‘fast show’ of a novel might not manage to keep the Bondian end up. But what could be more appropriate for 007 than a race against time?

April 23rd is a double celebration in England, with both of those being celebrated – St George and Shakespeare - coming together in the climactic chapters of not one but two Bond novels.

Takarazuka Revue’s ‘Casino Royale - My name is Bond’ is not only the first stage play of 007; it’s also a musical. And all of the roles - including Bond himself - are played by women. Here is our extensive coverage of this unforgettable one-of-a-kind production.

In April 2023, David and Antony used their wedding anniversary and Antony’s birthday as pretexts to head halfway around the world for Bond bars, civilised baths, mountains, sunsets and lots more besides.

This year’s Licence to Queer UNICEF fundraiser ‘Donate Another Day’ features a smorgasbord of Brosnan-themed recipes created especially for the occasion by Bond food expert-without-equal Edward Biddulph.

It has never made logical sense for Bond to choose a train over a plane, but that hasn’t stopped the 007 series making sleeper trains synonymous with romance and excitement. Why fly when you can travel by rail?

Diamonds Are Forever has had some of the series’ finest covers. The latest edition, published to mark 70 years of Bond being in print, is no exception. But it’s also a twist with tradition, taking things in an aptly deadly direction. Looks like I’m going to have to find more space on my shelves… and hopefully not a new husband.

Jim Fanning Friday celebrates the dedication and diversity (and some might say insanity) of the international Bond fan community. This year’s event, on Friday 24th February, was our biggest yet.

Despite neither Fleming nor a Bond film crew having ever visited the Caribbean’s largest island, it plays a key role in numerous 007 books and films. Fleming was fascinated by but fearful of Cuba, his feelings towards the place shifting dramatically across the book series for reasons that have never been clear. And the way the country has been shown on screen raises some interesting questions around representation. After decades of wanting to visit, I headed to Havana in search of ‘the real Cuba’.

Diamonds Are Forever may be one of the more bizarre Bond films but the early drafts by Richard Maibaum make the finished film look quite sane by comparison! Granted access to the Eon archives, film scholar Tom Mason shared with me the uncut gems he’d uncovered: possible versions of Diamonds Are Forever which are, by turns, ahead of their time AND positively deranged. You're not going to believe what Diamonds might have been!

It’s not every day you find out your home town was at the centre of an espionage scandal, with a British MP turning communist spy to live out his James Bond fantasy.