James Bond Radio: 007 News, Reviews & Interviews!

It's the first podcast of 2020. Happy New Year! James Bond Radio was privileged recently to get the chance to swap recognition codes and wag chins with the head of the Smershpod podcast, Mr. John Rain. With 90+ episodes under his belt on all manner of films, including all of the Bonds, and now his first book, Thunderbook, The World of Bond According to Smershpod, hitting the stores, John talked to Dan about his love of Bond, the reasons for starting his podcast, turning it into a paper version and what the future holds for Smershpod. JBR will be putting it's feet up, and taking a break next week, but we'll be back on the 17th with more Bond-tastic action!

Merry Christmas Bond fans! It's time for the 6th annual Big James Bond Boxing Day Bonanza Quiz. We have 100 fiendishly challenging questions to put you to the test. Unlike previous years, this time Tom will be joined by 3 brave listeners who'll be battling it out to be crowned the 2019 Bond Mastermind Quiz Champion. How big is your Bondian brain? Take the 2019 Big Bond Boxing Day Quiz challenge and find out!

James Bond Radio is back with one of the most memorable Bond villains ever. That's right, we're talking Licence To Kill with Robert Davi. We hear him go deep on his time preparing for the role of Franz Sanchez. We hear about his nights on the town with Timothy Dalton, how Frank Sinatra himself put in a good word for him with Cubby, and much more. Don't miss this week's episode of James Bond Radio. Robert regularly tours with his tribute to the songs of Frank Sinatra and the American Songbook. Dates are coming up in New York, Los Angeles and around the world. Find out more and book your tickets HERE before it's too late! JBR would like to thank our 'other' man in LA, Matthew Chernov for making this happen. To hear Matthew interview Robert's Licence To Kill co-star, Grand L. Bush, click here.

Who's it going to be?

It's time to visit outer space on this week's The Music of Bond. John Barry returns after Marvin Hamlisch's, The Spy Who Loved Me score to take the reigns on Moonraker. As a film it's often the butt of a joke or two, but what of the score? Tune in for discussion on the history of the music, a look behind the scenes and a track by track discussion of the original Moonraker soundtrack release.

It's that time again. The 007 rollercoaster has begun and the JBR family are all aboard. After today's trailer reveal, 00s Sears, Williams, Dobson and Gale discuss all things No Time To Die with a frame by frame review.

This week we're joined by author, Mark Edlitz, the man behind the new book 'The Many Lives of James Bond.' Lots of people love James Bond. But how many have actually been Bond? The Many Lives of James Bond offers the largest ever collection of original interviews with actors who have played Bond in different media, as well as in-depth interviews with many of the diverse artists who have contributed their talents to the making of James Bond movies, television shows, novels, radio dramas, comic books, and video games. These wide-ranging interviews provide a behind-the-scenes look at the artists' goals, the challenges they faced, and how they met them This book is also the first to examine the Bond character through eyes of the artists who interpret him. As the author talked with these creative people, a through line emerged. It involves a series of related fundamental questions about Bond that artists must reckon with when interpreting Bond. Who is James Bond and what, if anything, beyond successfully completing a mission does he really want? What drives him? Why did he become an agent? What is the nature of his inner-life? Would he be capable of a satisfying life away from high-octane adventure and danger? These questions challenge and inspire the creators to pull back the curtain on a deliberately opaque figure in an attempt to explore and analyze Bond's interior life and thought processes, and how the Bond actors have interpreted the role.

In the second part of our Secret Cinema review, Tom is joined by two brothers from Langley - Being James Bond's, Joe Darlington, and David Zaritsky from The Bond Experience. Find out about Tom and David's encounter at the poker table with Le Chiffre. Discover how Joe got caught in the crossfire when Felix Leiter ended up in a gun fight, and much more in this episode of James Bond Radio.

00s Sears, Dobson and Gale return to talk about their adventures had inside this summer's Casino Royale Secret Cinema. In the first of a double bill episode, you'll hear tales of Brian smooth talking his way into the VIP lounge. You'll discover what happened to Dan after receiving a secret message in a phone booth. And, you'll learn how Vesper's tragic end was all Tom's fault. Don't miss this week's episode of James Bond Radio.

This week, we're joined by John Richardson, the Oscar-winning special effects supervisor and designer, who has been involved in over 100 movies, including nine James Bond films. Not only that, he's also been involved in a whole host of cinema classics including Aliens, Superman, The Omen, all eight Harry Potter films, and many, many more. With over five decades of moviemaking under his belt, John recently released his book which lifts the lid on his fascinating career called: Making Movie Magic.

For the latest episode of The Comics of Bond, Jack Lugo interviews writer Van Jensen. We talk about Dynamite Comics' Live & Let Die adaptation, we find out Van's answers to the 007 quickfire questions, and learn all about his work on the Bond comics.

The Music of Bond returns this week with Tom and JW exploring No Time To Die's composer, Dan Romer. We look at Dan's history in the business, and listen to some of his previous efforts from Cary Fukunaga's, 'Maniac' to his work on 'FarCry 5.'

Dan Gale returns this week with special guest, Richard Overall. Richard's work on the Cartoon Network series 'The Adventures of Gumball' was recently brought to JBR's attention after a certain episode titled, 'The Agent' appeared on Youtube. The brief episode synopsis reads: "Gumball and Darwin's clothes go missing after a swimming lesson; when Gumball is forced to wear a tuxedo from the lost and found office, he believes it makes him look like a certain dapper British secret agent." What follows is 11 minutes of genius-level Bond references that will delight any 007 fan. So, sit back, pour yourself a Vesper and meet the man behind the action.

This week Tom returns with Brian Dobson to reminisce about their pilgrimage to Piz Gloria to celebrate the 50th anniversary of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. You'll hear what it was like to spend an hour hanging out with George Lazenby at the bar. You'll discover what it was like to circle Piz Gloria from a helicopter with distinguished members of the world press. And you'll hear stories of grown men in tears at the sheer enormity of the occasion. Not only that, we talk about our Bond 'Euro Trip' across Switzerland to numerous Goldfinger locations, our visit to the Goldeneye Dam, and how we finished up the jaunt scoping out Mr. White's house from the waters of Lake Como.

James Bond Radio Is Back In Action! The all-new JBR returns with a roundtable discussion of all things No Time To Die. Agents Sears, Williams, Dobson & Lugo are your hosts in a long form chat about next year's brand new Bond.

-- FROM CHRIS -- Dear JBR family, I hope you're all excited about 'No Time To Kill.' Let's hope it's an absolute belter! This is a bit of a heartfelt message, but with so many ongoing things at the moment, unfortunately, I'll be stepping away from JBR for the foreseeable future. It's been such a fun five years of Bondage. I'm incredibly proud of what JBR has become. It was brilliant to meet so many fellow Bond geeks, and it was especially cool seeing all the JBR communities spring up around the globe, but the time has come for me to move on. Sometimes life gets in the way of Bond, and sadly this is one of those times. So this is Agent Wright signing off. Au revoir. PS. Roll on 3rd April 2020! -- FROM TOM -- JBR Family, What can I say? After 5 years and 2 million downloads, I'm of course gutted to see our man in Cardiff go, but like all good things, it has to come to an end eventually. As far as the future of the podcast goes? I'm not yet sure. I'll be thinking things through over the next few weeks. Ultimately I need to go with what feels right in my gut. Whether that's following Chris' lead and bowing out gracefully, or coming back with a kiss kiss bang bang. I'm sure with a bit of reflection the right decision will come soon enough. Whatever happens, I want to thank all the members of the JBR family from the bottom of my heart. Without you guys, JBR wouldn't have lasted beyond the first year, let alone five. Once I've done some thinking, I'll of course be in touch. For now, let's enjoy this little highlight reel of some of our more "professional" moments from the last 5 years. Thanks again everybody, Tom PS. Oh by the way, in case you were wondering how I feel about Bond 25's new title?...I f***ing love it, mate!

[SPOILER FREE] Secret Cinema does Casino Royale. To be part of the experience, book your tickets now at SecretCinema.org. Additional tickets have just been released, with new dates running through to September 22nd. Get your tickets now! Camera work and editing by the legend that is, Mr. Dan Gale.

This week JBR returns with a look back at last month's visit to the ultimate Bond location, Piz Gloria. We'll also be talking about the latest Bond 25 rumours and more.

This week we have some more Timothy flavoured action for you. Courtesy of our other man in LA, we're joined by Grand L. Bush, who you'll recognise as 'Hawkins' in Licence To Kill. He talks about each of his fellow cast members, director John Glen, the Broccoli family, how he got the role, various shooting locations around Florida and Mexico, what the first Bond movie he ever saw in the cinema was, how he approached playing Hawkins, what it was like to meet Prince Charles and Lady Diana at the film's London premiere, what his relationship with Bond fans has been like over the years, as well as his friendships with Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Hopper. Don't miss this week's James Bond Radio.

For the latest episode of The Comics of Bond, Jack Lugo interviews writer and artist Ibrahim Moustafa. At the top of the show, Ibrahim reveals his new role in one of the ongoing Dynamite Comics Bond series. Find out Ibrahim's answers to the quickfire questions, and learn all about his inspired Bond artwork and even figurine work. Ibrahim has been doing Bond artwork for a long time and with his new role over at Dynamite comics, we are guaranteed to see even more brilliant artwork from him in the near future. Don't miss this fascinating discussion as we look further into the ongoing Comics of Bond!

Dan Gale returns to JBR this week with an exclusive interview with Dr. Cary Edwards PhD. As a film studies lecturer and author of the new book "He Disagreed With Something That Ate Him," Cary takes a deeper look into the potential hidden meanings and symbolism in the Bond films of Timothy Dalton.

In the 4th and final instalment of this year's anniversary episodes, John Williams is joined by 3 more intrepid listeners to talk the music of Bond. We're joined by - Logan Morford (Kentucky, USA), Marty O'Dwyer (Kansas City, USA) and Pablo Schaffner (Sydney, Australia).

To celebrate the third instalment of this year's anniversary episodes, John Williams is joined by 3 intrepid listeners to talk the music of Bond. We're joined by - Andrew Cook (Sheffield, UK), Matthew Chernov (Los Angeles, USA) and Paul Jamieson (Melbourne, Australia).

To celebrate the second instalment of this year's anniversary episodes we've invited another 3 intrepid listeners onto the show to talk Bond. We're joined by - Stan Luker (Surrey, UK), Dennis James Hardin (New York, USA) and Gary Bootle (Preston, UK).

JBR is 5 years old! To celebrate the first instalment of this year's anniversary episodes we've invited 3 intrepid listeners onto the show to talk Bond. We're joined by - Matt Raubenheimer (Cape Town, South Africa), Marlene Orth (Munich, Germany) and Dave Chantry (Wales, UK).

It's time for the JBR Family to speak once again! Our intrepid listeners get a chance to take the microphone and voice their thoughts on Brosnan's second Bond film. As usual there are a whole lot of passionate Bond fans out there with something to say. Tune in to find out what everybody thinks of Bond '97.

Things are heating up as we reach the final act of our Tomorrow Never Dies Review. After escaping Carver's Saigon headquarters, we pay a visit to Wai Lin's safe house. After witnessing her kung fu skills first hand, we go on the hunt for Elliot. Finishing up with a firefight on board his stealth boat, we ask the question: Is Tomorrow Never Dies a worthy follow up to Goldeneye? Find out on this week's episode of James Bond Radio.

We're back with the second part of our Tomorrow Never Dies review. This week we take a look at Paris Carver's late night visit to Bond's hotel room, pay a visit to Elliot's secret lab, and meet a man well versed in the ways of chakra torture, Dr. Kaufman. We take part in an epic car chase with a difference, HALO jump into Vietnamese territory, and in old school Bond style we take some time out for a spot of scuba diving. Our deep dive into Pierce Brosnan's second 007 film continues.

It's time to begin our exploration of Pierce Brosnan's second bond film, 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. This time Bond faces off against media mogul, Elliot Carver, as played by Jonathan Pryce. We have a new 007 director in the shape of 'Air America's' Roger Spottiswoode, we have slap happy Desperate Housewife, Teri Hatcher, and we have Hong Kong action star, Michelle Yeoh as Bond's Chinese opposite number Wai Lin. Is it a solid follow up to Brosnan's Goldeneye debut, or are we left wanting more? Find out on this week's episode of James Bond Radio.

It's time to climb into our Lotus Esprit and drive it straight into the sea on this week's The Music of Bond. While John Barry takes another break from the world of 007, Marvin Hamlisch steps up to score the The Spy Who Loved Me. As a film it's often referred to as Sir Roger's best, but what of the score? Tune in for discussion on the history of the music, a look behind the scenes and a track by track discussion of the original soundtrack release.

Merry Christmas Bond fans! It's time for the 5th annual Big James Bond Boxing Day Bonanza Quiz. We have 100 devilishly challenging questions to put you to the test. Like Q, will you have problems keeping it up? Or will your British end be firmly in the air? Take the 2018 Big Bond Boxing Day Quiz challenge and find out!

This week, Jack Lugo interviews Jeff Parker, the writer behind the new Dynamite Comics 'James Bond Origin' series. Find out Jeff's answers to the JBR Quickfire Questions and learn about what we can expect from this brand new original James Bond comic set during World War 2. You don't want to miss this fascinating discussion as our Station A agent in New Jersey, Jack Lugo continues his exploration of The Comics of Bond! JBR returns next week with our Big Annual Boxing Day Bond Quiz which drops on December 26th. Be sure to brush up on your Bond, we've got a doozy in store for you this year!

This week our intrepid, roving reporter, Pete Doherty is bringing us an intriguing interview with Bond production legends, John Grover and Colin Miller. Starting his journey with The Spy Who Loved Me, Grover, went on to work as editor on For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, and Licence To Kill. Colin Miller's work in the sound department began back in 1979 with Moonraker, and included For Your Eyes Only, A View To A Kill & The Living Daylights. Tune in to this week's episode for a look at Bond behind the scenes.

This week we're joined by Anders Frejdh, the man behind one of the biggest Bond websites, From Sweden With Love. As a hardcore Bond fan, Anders has built the largest collection of Bond memorabilia in Scandinavia, has interviewed many Bond alumni including no less than 3 James Bonds (George, Roger & Daniel), and was a key organiser for the Mallorca Film Festival's tribute to director Guy Hamilton. What's even cooler than that? If you keep your eyes peeled during Quantum of Solace, you'll even spot him on screen. Tune into this week's JBR for some Bondian banter with our man from Station S.

This week we're answering listener questions with subjects including: Who would make a great potential Bond villain, Bond's taste in ladies, what Dalton's Bond might have been like with a different director, and what could be the ultimate question: Should Bond have a hairy chest? Tune in for this week's 00-discussion.

This week, John Williams returns for another "The Music of Bond" interview. Matt Monro Jr. joins us to talk about his father, Bond, From Russia With Love and a whole lot more. Sit back and enjoy a chat with the man with a unique perspective on one of the most classic Bond themes.

It's time for the JBR Family to speak once again! Our intrepid listeners get a chance to take the microphone and voice their thoughts on Brosnan's debut Bond. With over 60 voicemails, there's a whole lot of passionate Bond fans out there with something to say. Tune in to find out what everybody thinks of Bond '95.

In a very special "Bonus Episode" of JBR this week, Jack Lugo interviews Greg Pak, the writer behind the new monthly Dynamite Comics James Bond 007 series, which launches on November 7th. Find out Greg's answers to the JBR Quickfire Questions and learn about what we can expect from his brand new original James Bond comic. Bond fans may be keenly interested in learning more about how this new comic plans to re-imagine a certain iconic Bond henchman. You don't want to miss this fascinating discussion as our Station A agent in New Jersey, Jack Lugo continues his exploration of The Comics of Bond! JBR returns next week with our listener based "90 Second Reviews" episode for Goldeneye. If you haven't already, be sure to head over to JamesBondRadio.com, click on the 'Send Voicemail' button and let us know your thoughts on Brosnan's 00-debut.

Things are heating up as we reach the final act of our Goldeneye Review. After a ride on Alec Trevelyan's armoured train, we end up in the Caribbean for the final showdown. With the briefest of glimpses of Bond's new BMW, we discover mad little Alec's secret base hidden beneath a lake. Finishing up with a brutal and frantic fistfight between two of Her Majesty's finest, 006 vs 007, we ask the question: Did our boy Pierce do us proud with his first stab at playing James Bond? Find out on this week's episode of James Bond Radio.

We're back with the second part of our Goldeneye review. This week we enter Q's lab, pay a visit to St. Petersburg to meet CIA contact Jack Wade, and our old friend with the limp, Valentin Zukovsky. We encounter a rather nasty woman in a spa, run into an old friend in a graveyard of statues and get involved in a car chase at the wheel of a tank. What more could you want? Our deep dive into Pierce Brosnan's debut 007 film continues.

It's a new world...with new enemies...and new threats...but you can still depend on one man! It's time to take Bond into the 90s with a look at Pierce Brosnan's debut 007 film, Goldeneye. It's got Bond back in his Aston Martin DB5, it's got an iconic henchwoman, it's got Desmond Llewelyn as Q, it's got a new M, it's got a belter of a theme song, and it's got Martin Campbell at the helm, but does Bond have what it takes to thrive in a post Cold War world? Find out on this week's episode of James Bond Radio.

This week, John Williams comes at you solo style for this week's "The Music of Bond." For all you Licence To Kill fans out there, we welcome singer and producer of 'Dirty Love' - Tim Feehan. Some might call this the ultimate 80s bar room brawl soundtrack, others might call it John Williams' personal theme tune, whatever you decide to call it, Dirty Love never fails to put a smile on your face. Until Tom & Chris return next week with their review of Goldeneye, enjoy a little dirty love with Tim Feehan.

JBR's man in New Jersey, Jack Lugo, steps in for Tom & Chris this week, with a killer interview with Dennis Calero. As the artist behind Dynamite Comics' recent graphic novel adaptation of Casino Royale (alongside writer Van Jansen), Dennis has a great insight on the classic world of 007.

Bond 25 has it's new director! A tweet posted to the official James Bond account reads: "Michael G Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig announced today that Bond 25 will begin filming at Pinewood Studios on 4 March 2019 under the helm of director Cary Joji Fukunaga, with a worldwide release date of 14 February 2020." "We are delighted to be working with Cary. His versatility and innovation make him an excellent choice for our next James Bond adventure." said Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Oh my goodness me! On this week's edition of JBR we're joined by Bibi Dahl herself, Lynn-Holly Johnson. We hear all about her days as a competitive athlete, her run-ins with Steven Spielberg and of course her time working on For Your Eyes Only. Do not miss this episode of James Bond Radio. Now...go put your clothes on and we'll buy you an ice cream ;-)

On today's episode of The Music of Bond we're joined by Richard Craft. As John Barry's agent, he has some killer stories about his time working with him. An obsessive Bond fan himself, Richard talks about John Barry's work on The Incredibles, Bond films that almost had a Barry score and much more. Don't miss this one folks!

In today's episode we go deep on Mission Impossible: Fallout, a truly spectacular film featuring some jaw dropping stunts. Our man at MI6 has a huge task on his hands when it comes to Bond 25. With the success of Ethan Hunt's latest adventure, the action movie bar has been well and truly raised. But what does that mean for 007?

This week, JBR returns to conclude our Timothy Dalton retrospective. We'll be choosing our favourite action scenes, the coolest Bond moments and much more. We also discuss more about this week's Danny Boyle news.

We certainly weren't expecting to see this news today. Danny Boyle has exited Bond 25 due to "creative differences." Making the announcement on Twitter the post read - "Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25." We decided to jump on the mic and discuss today's news, in what is a very unexpected emergency podcast.

This week, we're taking a look back at Timothy Dalton's best bits! We'll be exploring all of our favourite Tim moments from his 'Bond…James Bonds' to his M scenes, his Q scenes and his Moneypenny scenes. This is going to be an unmissable episode for the Timmy fans out there. So grab your Vodka Martini, put your feet up and prepare for a double helping of Dalton.