James Bond & Friends

Join us as we watch 1967's You Only Live Twice together as a group experience. 

With the essential ingredients dialed up to 11, is the film less than the sum of its parts? Along the way, we recall Terence Stamp's wild idea for the film, discover why they don't serve beans on submarines, ponder Bond's while you wait tailoring, recall a near decapitation, hunt for sunken car treasure, resurrect Q's label maker, discuss the joys of monorails and abandoned tractors, and debut Calvin's vocal performance as Blofeld's cat. 

The recording took place on October 2nd, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain. 

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com

Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential 

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Is the Daniel Craig era responsible for a Timothy Dalton renaissance?

With the ratings of his two James Bond films seeing a boost from 2005 onwards, we ponder what effect (if any) that Daniel Craig's tenure may have had on Timothy Dalton's appreciation within the fan base and wider audience. Along the way we question the urban legend that is Fleming's darker Bond and Dalton's strategy, recall what it was like to witness his launch back in 1987, ask what impact nostalgia is having on the era, and whether a dip back into the books in 2005 started this ball rolling...

The recording took place on May 7th, 2021 in the USA and UK.

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr 

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

What did a year of lock down look like through the lens of James Bond fandom?

With some of us slowly emerging from pandemic lock down, the panel reviews the past 12 months through the lens of James Bond fandom. What were the things that kept us going, and what were the newsworthy events of a year like no other? In this extended episode, we run down our selections from A to Z.

The recording took place on January 1st, 2021 in the USA and UK.

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr 

Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential 

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

What elements of the franchise make James Bond the spy we know and enjoy? 

The panel discusses the key elements of James Bond from the novels to the films, identifying some of the things we believe makes 007 charming and successful. We share experiences of talking about Bond to non-Bond fans, some of them very close to us, and contrast our opinions about the relative quality of the films with those of our loved ones. We round out by talking about where to start to introduce a new reader or viewer to the franchise. 

Along the way we revisit the sausage factory, discuss the ‘three [maybe two] Gs’, Bond’s seemingly limitless knowledge, the gamble that was Casino Royale, fan service failures, nostalgic nausea, brave decisions, artistic leadership, 24 ways of telling the same story, travelogues, globalisation, drinking, exotic Kentucky, musical puns, and shameless self-promotion. 

The recording took place on March 26th, 2021 in the USA, UK, Spain, and New Zealand. 

Paul Atkinson is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Join us as we watch the second half of 2015's Spectre together as a group experience. 

We complete our SPECTRE odyssey as the second half picks up in Tangiers. Along the way, we ponder how much budget could have been saved with some cheese and a string, David gives packing advice, ponder promotions at Blofeld's call centre and question his paint choice, witness the world's biggest gender reveal, improve Stromberg's backstory, reveal how Sam Mendes ruined the ending, and Lisa finds the title for Bond 26. 

The recording took place on September 18th, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain. 

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

The panel reviews the original first edition artwork by Kenneth Lewis and the UK quad poster by Dan Goozee.

Along the way they discover ‘70s wallpaper, panning for gold, Chekhov’s gun, narrowly avoided dramatic readings, missing rockets, salad spoilers, taxonomy rabbit holes, and space tuxedos.

Covers discussed

Sean's picks
Pan cover 1
Pan cover 2

Peter's pick (US Spanish paperback)

David's picks
Vintage
Pan (1970s)

Ben's picks
Croatian cover
Folio society

Posters discussed

Sean's pick

Peter's pick

David's pick

Ben's picks
Italian poster
US Teaser

The recording took place on March 5th, 2021 in New Zealand, UK, Germany, and Spain. 

Paul Atkinson is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential 

Peter Lorenz runs the Illustrated 007 blog 

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com 

Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential 

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021 

Join us as we watch the first half of 2015's Spectre together as a group experience. 

Is the first half of Spectre better than the second? We break this four-act oddity in the franchise into two parts for this watchalong. Along the way, we ponder Bond's choice of phone contacts, discover an unlikely IT guy, Madeleine's 'meet cute' story, volunteer Bill to watch all the publicity material again, and stumble upon the reason Felix Leiter can't go to Cuba.

The recording took place on September 11th, 2020 in the USA, UK, and Spain. 

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

Join us as we watch the next two episodes of James Bond Jr together as a group experience. 

For this episode, we resurrect an oft-forgotten relic of the canon - James Bond Jr - as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Whether you grew up seeing it on TV, or have never watched it before, we over-analyze the contents of the third and fourth episodes and ask the questions nobody has before, such as: Which Felix is Gordo's dad? Who cemented in the Pentagon? What typeface makes its debut in the Bond series? Who prefers a rear entrance? What internet term applies to Gordo? And David cracks the problem of how to smuggle the world's largest diamond. 

You can watchalong with us via these YouTube videos:
Episode 03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SqaROscJXE 
Episode 04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGs-5v3XdMM 

The recording took place on January 8th, 2021 in the USA, UK, Spain, and New Zealand. 

Paul Atkinson and James Page are co-founders of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential 

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com 

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr 

Bill Koenig runs the Spy Command at hmssweblog.wordpress.com

Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential 

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021

What tone and iconography did 'From Russia With Love' set for Bond marketing? 

The panel reviews the original UK quad poster and bring to the table some other posters used to promote the 1963 film, many of which riff on the original artwork by Renato Fratini. Along the way, they discover misplaced weaponry, the size of Pierce’s silencer, visits to the ‘talkies’, Ben’s new glasses, the multi-Bond theory, prosthetic masks, the wrong Casino Royale, film fonts from the early noughts, Red Grant’s poor job satisfaction, Connery’s Lego haircut, fake legs, font crimes, and greengrocers in the ‘90s. 

UK Quad: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster1.jpg 
Sean's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster2.jpg  
David's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster3.jpg 
Ben's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster4.jpg 
Peter's pick: http://assets.mi6-hq.com/images/news/frwl-poster5.jpg 

The recording took place on February 12th, 2021 in New Zealand, UK, Germany, and Spain. 

Paul Atkinson is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential 

Peter Lorenz runs the Illustrated 007 blog 

Sean Longmore shares his artwork @ThatTallGinger  

David Leigh runs thejamesbonddossier.com 

Ben Williams writes for MI6-HQ.com and MI6 Confidential 

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021 

Which movies did the Bond celebs select in their communal Top 5? 

For this episode, author Mark O'Connell joins us to explain his project to survey cast members, crew, authors, academics, and experts from the world of James Bond on their personal top five 007 adventures. We count down the results and compare to how the general public voted, and exclusively reveal the film that didn't quite make the celebs’ cut. Share your selections with a photo of your hand-written list and tag it #Top5Bonds on Twitter or Instagram. 

The recording took place on February 12th, 2021 in the USA and UK. 

James Page is co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Mark O'Connell's home base is markoconnell.co.uk 

Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond channel can be enjoyed at youtube.com/calvindyson

Lisa Funnell (@DrLisaFunnell) is Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria and shares his expertise at @PhilNobileJr

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2021