W hich of these statements most closely represents your views about 007? A) James Bond has gone too woke; b) James Bond is a racist, sexist, imperialist dinosaur who has no place in the modern world; c) I’ve never given it much thought, really. I like the car chases, the nice locations and the stunts. Most sensible people would pick option “c”.
It’s just a bit of fun and best not to overthink it. But there are many people who are obsessed with James Bond and what he represents. Including me.
And, as with fans of any cultural artefact – be it Star Wars, a football team, a music act – their biggest fans are their biggest critics. Everyone thinks they own Bond. They know what he is, who should play him in his next incarnation, how the films should be, how Bond should be.
And they reserve their highest criticism for the two family firms that do actually own him – EON, which makes the films, and Ian Fleming Publications (IFP), which publishes the books. This sense of affronted ownership can perhaps best be summed up by Alan Partridge frustratedly snapping “ Stop getting Bond wrong ” in an oft-posted clip. Who Bond is, and how he can work in the contemporary world are questions EON has been asking since the release of Dr No, and they are questions I had to ask when IFP approached me last year to write a book to tie in with three things that coincided in 2023 – the coronation of King Charles, the 70th anniversary of the publication of Casino Royale (the first Bon.
