4th March 2014

Hi

It's time again for the newsletter and it's been quite a month.

After having to delay the Q-Branch: James Bond Podcast, we finally got down to record episode 4, which you can listen to here.

If you like what we're doing with the podcast then please rate us on iTunes, or even better - leave a review. In fact, why not leave us an iTunes rating before reading on? :)

Another BIG big thing...

My book The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond was named by the World Gourmand Awards for the best UK book on cocktails. It will go against books in the same category in the worldwide prizes, which take place in Beijing in May.

If you don't yet own a copy you can buy it here.

Anyway, below you'll find the latest articles and news from The James Bond Dossier. I hope you enjoy reading them and don't forget to use the social media buttons at the bottom of each to share with your friends.

Have a great month and I'll be back in April!

David Leigh
The James Bond Dossier

PS You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus

PPS We also have an RSS feed here if you prefer.

While James Bond’s appearance hardly varies throughout the books, it is also true to say that Ian Fleming scarcely describes him in any detail at all. Fleming tells us that Bond is around six feet tall and has black hair, a comma of which is permanently out of place; he has blue-grey eyes with a […] Read more...

John Travolta recently spoke about how he would love to play a Bond villain in an interview with the Telegraph, in which he reveals that he has spoken to Barbara Broccoli about the possibility and she “loves the idea”. However, that means nothing at all, it could easily be a brush off. What is more interesting […] Read more...

The London Film Museum is set to be home to the Bond in Motion exhibition, the largest official collection of James Bond vehicles, following its successful two year stint at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu that just finished in January. The exhibition, located in Covent Garden, is scheduled to open on 21st March 2014 […] Read more...

By the time of Thunderball, Ian Fleming tells us that Bond’s daily intake of spirits is around half a bottle. Like his creator, James Bond drinks a lot, hence his much needed stay in a health farm ordered by M. However, unlike the popular belief that Bond drinks nothing but vodka martinis – shaken, not […] Read more...

Red Carpet News TV recently spoke to Naomie Harris (Eve Moneypenny) and Rory Kinnear (Tanner) briefly about Bond 24. Watch the videos above to hear what they had to say. Read more...

A self-published book about James Bond’s drinks will compete against the best in the world after judges of the 2014 World Gourmand Awards announced it the UK winner of the cocktails category. Published at the end of 2012 following the release of “Skyfall”, the second edition of David Leigh’s The Complete Guide to the Drinks […] Read more...

  Ian Fleming Publications has today unveiled the cover artwork for the forthcoming paperback editions of Solo, by William Boyd. The UK edition is published by Random House on 8th May 2014, with the US and Canadian edition by HarperCollins hitting bookshelves on 3rd June. You can pre-order the Solo paperback from Amazon UK or Amazon.com. IFP says […] Read more...

Roger Deakins, who won so much praise for his cinematography work on Skyfall, will not be returning for Bond 24 according to one industry commentator on Twitter last night. Kristopher Tapley of HitFix.com tweeted: At dinner with Deakins last night I learned some news that makes me sad: He won’t be shooting the next Bond. — Kristopher […] Read more...

In Episode 4 we answer listener questions, discuss Quantum of Solace, each pick three music tracks from the official James Bond films, and get interrupted by a cat. Read more...

From the word go Ian Fleming established James Bond as an expert card player when M sends him to Royale-les-Eaux in an attempt to bankrupt SMERSH operative Le Chiffre at the baccarat tables. Judged to be the best card player in the service, we learn that he spent two months in Monte Carlo before the […] Read more...

The recent biopic mini-series “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that aired recently on BBC America from the end of January and on Sky Atlantic earlier this month is now available on Amazon Instant Video in March and will be released on DVD on 10th March. The Fleming biopic stars Dominic Cooper as Ian Fleming […] Read more...

MTV recently interviewed Ralph Fiennes for his new film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson in which he revealed that while he has not seen a script for Bond 24, cameras are due to start rolling in October. He tells MTV that he can’t tell them much having not seen a script and that […] Read more...

MI6 Confidential, the full-colour magazine celebrating the world of James Bond 007, returns with its twenty-fourth issue. All cinematic icons have their backroom stalwarts, and this issue pays homage to four of them. The screenwriting duo, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, writers of the five most recent adventures talk candidly about their years with Bond; Mark Mawston […] Read more...

A few days ago we reported that Bond 24 was scheduled to start shooting in October, according to none other than Ralph Fiennes. However, Baz Bamigboye in the Daily Mail has reported that filming has been delayed by a month and it will now start in November. Normally I take little notice of what the […] Read more...