BBC Archive releases rare James Bond television and radio content online

16-Dec-2010 • Bond News

BBC Archive has released a collection of rare television and radio items examining the enduring popularity of British superspy James Bond.

The collection, titled The Changing World of 007, features various items tracking the evolution of Bond from Ian Fleming's literary creation to the most financially-successful English-language film franchise to date.

The key piece of the collection is an episode of Whicker's World from 1967, which provides a rare behind-the-scenes view of life on the set of a Bond film. The episode, filmed on location during the filming of You Only Live Twice, has not been made publicly available since its initial broadcast.

Various radio items in the collection give a unique insight into Bond creator Fleming, including a 1958 BBC Home Service broadcast in which he and Raymond Chandler - creator of cult detective Philip Marlowe, later played by Humphrey Bogart - discuss the ingredients which make up the perfect thriller.

Another item features Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton discussing the challenges of taking on the Bond property, including the need to deliver "adventure, excitement, pretty girls, laughs, thrills, [and] suspense".

A 1990 edition of Radio 5's Cult Heroes focuses on the importance of cars, clothes, gadgets and gastronomy in the series, while a 1995 discussion on Radio 4's Woman's Hour considers the changing role of the Bond girl.

Julie Rowbotham, BBC Archive executive producer, said: "James Bond is such an iconic part of British culture and we are thrilled to be able to release these programmes re-examining the legend and exploring why successive generations have taken 007 to their hearts."

The James Bond collection of programmes and images is available from today at a dedicated section of the BBC Archives website. It follows recent releases of rare BBC footage featuring science-fiction author HG Wells and the historic abdication speech of Edward VIII.

Click here to access the BBC Archive 'James Bond' collection (content may be restricted by region).

Thanks to `forgotmyusername` for the alert.