Bond & Beyond
80 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsA new podcast dedicated to the world's favourite secret agent. Every fortnight, Alex Boucher and James Batchelor delve into the world of Bond - not just the films that made him famous, but the original novels, video games and the many, many other characters inspired by him.
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Episodes
Dossier #30: Die Another Day
July 18, 2017 19:23 - 1 hour - 103 MBStrap in and brace yourself - the Bond & Beyond review for Die Another Day is almost as long as the film itself (but hopefully better thought out and considerably more entertaining). Unquestionably the low point of the entire series and the unfortunate swansong for Classic Bond, Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final big screen outing is a mess of unrealised potential, clumsy anniversary references and truly awful dialogue. James and Alex wade through the plot, the characters, the music and m...
Dossier #29: Moore and mailbag
June 29, 2017 20:34 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBAlex and James offer a belated tribute to Sir Roger Moore, reflecting on his time at James Bond as well as some of the other, more unusual roles he has played. We also discuss his contributions beyond acting and our favourite memories of the legendary actor. For the second half of the episode, we read out some of the emails we've received and try to prepare ourselves for our next Bond & Beyond review: Die Another Day. Fancy sending us an email? Write to [email protected] As always,...
Dossier #28: Moonraker
May 23, 2017 14:55 - 1 hour - 102 MBJames and Alex are reunited with friend of the show Gez to discuss what is unquestionably the daftest entry in the entire series (though not necessarily the worst). Recording in our guest's London-based Bond Villian-style headquarters, we discuss Roger Moore's fourth Bond outing in extensive detail: from the opening parachute sequence to the lengthy and often laughable space sequences that make up the finale. Along the way, we touch on why Drax pretends to play piano, how much thought w...
Dossier #27: Thunderball
April 13, 2017 20:28 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBJoin us for an unusually negative Bond & Beyond Review as we embark upon the fourth round of this classic series. This time Alex and James are joined by friend of the show and GameBurst co-host Gary 'Xantiriad' Blower to discuss Thunderball. Touching briefly upon the well-documented legal dispute that this film triggered between Ian Fleming, EON Productions and director Kevin McClory, we ponder why a film that involves a nuclear threat, the first major Spectre gambit for world domination a...
Dossier #26: Skyfall
March 23, 2017 19:04 - 1 hour - 80.8 MBHere it is, at long last: the Bond & Beyond review of Skyfall, Daniel Craig's third outing as 007. Alex and James discuss the many highs and occasional lows of Skyfall, as well as the many pressures it faced: following the flawed Quantum of Solace and, of course, marking the 50th anniversary of this great franchise. This episode also weighs up the new director, new composer, new MI6, and new direction for the franchise. As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You...
Dossier #25: The World Is Not Enough
January 20, 2017 22:03 - 1 hour - 79.9 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review tackles the final 007 adventure of the 20th Century. Join Alex and James as they finally start to disagree on something: Denise Richards. They also weigh up Brosnan's third performance as Bond and whether it makes up for his crumbling English accent, and discuss the film's Action-Sex quota, where every ten minutes either leads to female encounters or some genuinely great setpieces. And yes, James goes on about David Arnold again. As always, our episodes can be foun...
Dossier #24: Bond 17
December 24, 2016 12:28 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBJames Batchelor and Alex Boucher track down the early screen treatment for what would have been Timothy Dalton's third Bond film: an adventure that takes 007 to Hong Kong in pursuit of a cat burglar who may be the key to investigating mysterious disasters at power plants and industrial facilities. For this episode, we tried something a little different. The first half is an audiobook-style narration of the film, while the second is a discussion about potential reactions had the movie been ...
Dossier #23: The Spy Who Loved Me
November 20, 2016 18:45 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBAlex and James are joined by returning guest Gez to discuss arguably Roger Moore’s greatest outing as 007. When a nutter with barely noticeable webbed hands plans to start a nuclear war between the US and Russia, apparently the only hope for humanity will be to move under the sea. That is, unless James Bond and KGB agent Anya Amasova can distract themselves from trying to both sleep with and kill each other long enough to save the world. We discuss the plot, the stunts, the car, the henchm...
Dossier #22: Goldfinger
October 07, 2016 08:18 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review comes to perhaps the most classic film of them all. Alex and James discuss Goldfinger, Sean Connery's third adventure and the source of so many 007 tropes - and parodies. While we might not tackle it in the most sensible order, everything is here: the laser table, the car, the golden girl, the song, the golf game, the raid on Fort Knox, Pussy Galore and the villainous Goldfinger himself. Enjoy! As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You ...
Dossier #21: Quantum of Solace
September 16, 2016 16:56 - 1 hour - 77.9 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review takes an in-depth look at Daniel Craig's second outing at 007 – a film beset by problems, not the least of which were the 2008 Writer's Strike and the burden of following the acclaimed Casino Royale. Alex and James discuss how frantic camerawork, a stunning visual style, a surprisingly clever plot, an underrated Bond girl and a weedy Frenchman make this a far more impressive entry into the series than you might think. WARNING: Contains that awful Jack White/Alic...
Dossier #20: Tomorrow Never Dies
August 18, 2016 22:24 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBIn our longest Bond & Beyond review yet, we revisit Pierce Brosnan's second adventure in which a mad media mogul brings the globe to the brink of war - to, er, sell some newspapers. Arguably one of the weaker entries in the series, there's still a lot to like here and it remains James' personal favourite. Listen in as he and Alex discuss the incredible action sequences, surprisingly engaging characters and phenomenal soundtrack that hold this film together. As always, our episodes can be...
Dossier #19: Licence To Kill
August 04, 2016 20:51 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review turns its attention to what many consider to be the black sheep of the Classic 007 family. Timothy Dalton's second and (sadly) final outing as Ian Fleming's iconic secret agent sees him defying Queen and country to settle a personal vendetta with notorious drug lord Franz Sanchez. Is this just another generic '80s action film donning Bond's tuxedo, or the foundations for the popular Daniel Craig formula? Or is it both? And why, oh why does Q chuck that expensive an...
Dossier #18: The Man With The Golden Gun
June 19, 2016 10:59 - 48 minutes - 66 MBThis time the Bond & Beyond Review turns its eye to the highly questionable The Man With The Golden Gun. Alex and James discuss whether a truly wonderful performance by Christopher Lee - plus some great M moments - are enough to make up for the many, many, many regretful aspects of Moore's second outing. And we're not just talking about the return of Sheriff J W Pepper! As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You can chat to us on Twitter, @BondBeyondPod, or share ...
Dossier #17: All the usual refinements
June 03, 2016 20:26 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBBond & Beyond is back with a quick news update on Daniel Craig’s alleged departure (we still haven’t heard it from him), thoughts on the Bond In Motion exhibit and an in-depth discussion about the cars of the series. As one of the franchise’s signature elements, we discuss what makes a great Bond car, whether you can have too many gadgets, and why oh why did they make that invisible car in Die Another Day. As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You can chat to u...
Dossier #16: From Russia With Love
April 22, 2016 07:12 - 1 hour - 59 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review moves on to the second round of films, starting with Sean Connery's return in From Russia With Love. Arguably the true beginning of the franchise, we discuss the groundwork laid by their globetrotting spy adventure, the tragic story of Kerim Bey, and even that weird video game released nearly fifty years later. As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You can chat to us on Twitter, @BondBeyondPod, or share you views at our new Facebook page -...
Dossier #15: An Alternative View On Bond
April 07, 2016 21:15 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBJames and Alex are joined by a very special guest this week: James' wife, Penny. Having endured as much as she can of Old Bond, and as a massive fan of New Bond, she's here to discuss her take on the series, it's high points and low points, the appeal of Daniel Craig, her reaction to Connery's more brutal moments, and 50+ years' worth of Bond Girls. As always, our episodes can be found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You can chat to us on Twitter, @BondBeyondPod, or share you views at our new F...
Dossier #14: Casino Royale
March 24, 2016 12:57 - 57 minutes - 53 MBAlex and James are joined by returning guest Gez to discuss Casino Royale, the debut of Daniel Craig and the beginning of the new Bond era. Ten years on, how well does this film stand-up? Does it overcome excessive product placement to become the Best Bond Film, or is it just a bloody good film? As always, find all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com and contact us via Twitter: @BondBeyondPod.
Dossier #13: The Next Bond
March 03, 2016 22:54 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBWith rumours abound that Daniel Craig has hung up his tuxedo for the final time - we'll believe it when we see it - James and Alex discuss the potential contenders to be the next James Bond. They're joined by honourary Bond & Beyonder and friend of the show Gez, who chips in to help weigh up what qualities the next James Bond actor should have. As always, find all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com and contact us via Twitter: @BondBeyondPod.
Dossier #12: Goldeneye
February 05, 2016 08:34 - 55 minutes - 50.4 MBThis week's Bond & Beyond review brings us into the Pierce Brosnan era with the fifth Bond's first (and perhaps best?) outing. Alex and James discuss the long wait fans had to endure before this film arrived, the new MI6 cast, the best of the action scenes and the worst of soundtrack. As always, find all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com and contact us via Twitter: @BondBeyondPod.
Dossier #11: Bond's Buddies (or The Felixes and Not Felixes)
January 22, 2016 15:43 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBThis week, we discuss Bond's allies in the field, the informants and foreign agents that help him complete his mission. Chief among these is, of course, Felix Leiter: a character that has appeared to be both comically incompetent and unapologetically heroic - although never in the same film. We also discuss what we've lovingly come to know as the Not Felixes, ranging from Greek smugglers, Turkish agents, and the elusive other Double-Os. As always, find all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tu...
Dossier #10: The Living Daylights
January 08, 2016 14:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBThe Bond & Beyond Review tackles the first of Timothy Dalton's two movies, in which a plot to make money spans over two hours, several countries and some excellent action sequences. A personal favourite of Alex's, hear him and James discuss the film's more unappreciated features as well as its more bizarre inclusions – fat Scouse jailer, anyone? N.B. We are aware of some audio issues with this episode. We are working on sourcing better equipment and finding an alternative recording location...
Dossier #9: Live and Let Die
December 16, 2015 18:42 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBOur third Bond & Beyond Review marks the debut of the most divisive 007 of all: Roger Moore. Live and Let Die is an odd mix of supernatural powers, voodoo tricks, blaxploitation, racist sheriffs, crocodiles... and some genuinely great James Bond moments. We discuss the high and lows of Moore's inaugural outing as Fleming's secret agent, tackling every boat chase, train fight and unconvincing rubber snake along the way. As always, find all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com and contac...
Dossier #8: Bond 25
December 04, 2015 21:45 - 38 minutes - 35 MBFollowing our initial impressions of Spectre, we ponder the film's ambiguous ending and wonder what lies in store for the inevitable Bond 25 (yes, it's inevitable - Bond makes too much money for them to stop now). We look specifically at each of the characters and how we'd like to see them return, how the loose ends of Spectre could potentially be tied up, where we would like to see the series go in the years ahead and - most importantly - whether or not we expect to see Daniel Craig don th...
Dossier #7: Spectre - Initial Report
November 26, 2015 23:10 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBBond & Beyond is back! And we return with our initial impressions on the long-awaited 24th James Bond adventure, Spectre. Has the film been worth the wait? How does the classic villainous organisation fit into the grittier world of Daniel Craig? Did you blink and miss Monica Belucci? And what do we think of THAT song? All this and more is discussed as we pick the newest Bond film apart. Note: This is not the full review, which will come later in the series. We also do not discuss the ending...
Dossier #6: What makes a good Bond song?
October 15, 2015 18:41 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBAlex Boucher and James Batchelor discuss the musical enigma that is the Bond song. With 24 official title themes, unofficial and alternative themes, additional songs and parodies, there's a wide range of music with that certain level of 'Bondness', but what is the secret behind that magic? This is the mystery that we fail to solve while ranking our favourite Bond songs of all time, lamenting the worst ones, and pondering which artists we'd like to try their hand at introducing a 007 adventu...
Dossier #5: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
October 01, 2015 22:38 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBFor the second Bond & Beyond review, Alex and James discuss On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby's one and only outing as Ian Fleming's iconic secret agent. In addition to judging Lazenby's performance, they also touch on the film's pacing, its plot, its central relationship and its comparison to the original novel. Warning: Contains Lazenby puns. Also, stay tuned at the end for Six Minutes of Everything Related to Spectre Headlines (or SMERSH). We stress that at the time of rec...
Dossier #4 - Reconnaissance: SPECTRE
September 18, 2015 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBAlex and James are back with the first of potentially many episodes packed with Spectre speculation (Spectre-lation?). We discuss what little we know about the upcoming film so far, discuss what we hope it delivers and why it needs to break the dreaded Fourth Film curse. Please note: this episode was recorded a few weeks ago. We'll be addressing the latest news, such as the revelation of the title song, on a future show. You can find out all our episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com and con...
Dossier#3 – Dr No
September 04, 2015 09:43 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBAnd so we come to the first Bond & Beyond review, taking a look at the film that started it all: Dr No. We reflect on the 1962 classic, picking out the tropes that are still with us today, weighing up the film's best and worst bits, analysing the villainous Dr No himself and even pondering Honey Ryder, the first of many Bond girls. As of now we'll be on a fortnightly release schedule, so keep your eyes peeled for our Spectre speculation episode in two weeks' time. You can find all our epis...
Dossier #2: Who is James Bond?
August 27, 2015 13:11 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBLet's get things straight from the off: there is only one James Bond. Well, since Daniel Craig turned up there's two, and he didn't have a gadget-laden Aston Martin (or at least he shouldn't have). Alex Boucher and James Batchelor debate why, and we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Dossier #1: Mission Briefing
August 27, 2015 13:08 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBWelcome to Bond & Beyond. In this brief intro episode, hosts Alex Boucher and James Batchelor discuss their plans for the show, plus share their stories of how they first encountered the iconic secret agent.