Does James Bond like his Martini shaken... or stirred? You better make sure that before Spectre comes out you find out.
With the release of Spectre just around the corner (it’s coming out tomorrow guys!) you really don’t want to be the person having to admit that you’re not exactly a Bond expert.
From Bond girls to making the perfect Martini, check out our blaggers guide to all things Bond, James Bond…
The Man Himself... Now we don’t mean to patronise you but if you literally do not know who James Bond is – regardless of whether you have watched the films or not – you really should give up all hope and stop reading now. Go watch yourself one of those Princess Diaries movies and don’t worry yourself about all this. James Bond is OBVIOUSLY the lead in all the Bond films (makes sense, huh?) he likes cars, women and err, shooting stuff. Daniel Craig has been Bond for the last four films – Spectre, Skyfall, Quantum Of Solace and Casino Royale - before that Piers Brosnan held the role.
Got that?
Well, here are some quick-fire facts about James Bond you should know: The author of James Bond, Ian Fleming, chose his name because he wanted it to sound boring, Goldeneye was named after Fleming’s house in Jamaica where he wrote most of the Bond books, Goldfinger was the first film in history to use a laserbeam, yeah, a LASERBEAM.
So, who's the Bond expert now, eh?
Cocktails James Bond likes a Martini, shaken not stirred – it’s important to remember that. Fleming actually wrote the recipe for Bond’s favourite tipple in Casino Royale when Bond told a barman he would like: ‘Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.’ Go make yourself one of those bad boys now!
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Guns These feature heavily in the Bond films, James Bond likes guns and he is not afraid to shoot people. That said in the books Octopussy, The Property Of A Lady, 007 In New York and Silverfin no guns were used or mentioned. Remember that for your next pub quiz fact fans.
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Bond Girls Hello girls! James Bond is a notorious lady’s man. At the last count he had slept with 55 women and according to reports they were all based on a woman named Muriel Wright who Bond author Fleming once loved. Famous women who have taken on a Bond Girl role include Halle Berry, Ursula Andress, Teri Hatcher, Rosamund Pike and Eva Green.
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The Bond Theme No James Bond movie would ever be complete without a killer theme tune usually sung by someone totally cool and ‘of the moment’. For Spectre that person is Sam Smih with Writing’s On The Wall. Other iconic artists have included Shirley Bassey with Diamonds Are Forever, for a film of the same name (Shirley also sang the themes for Moonraker and Goldfinger. Madonna who sang Die Another Day for - yep, you guessed it - Die Another Day and Adele’s Skyfall for - 10 points! - Skyfall. You’d think they could come up with some more original names really.
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Baddies Obviously there wouldn’t be much point in James Bond being a secret service agent if there were no mysteries to solve and no baddies to defeat. One of our absolute favourites is Grace Jones as May Day in A View To Kill and the most terrifying was Jaws - just look at those silver teeth.
Now, go forth and extoll all your new-found Bond trivia on all your mates (or anyone who might want to listen to it...)