The Britishness of Live and Let Die: A DEEP DIVE: Fleming, Film, and Fans [Episode 195]

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Thomas Felix Creighton examines the Britishness of ‘Live and Let Die’, both the 1954 novel by Ian Fleming, and the 1973 movie starring Roger Moore. Contributors include British author in the USA, Roland Hulme, New York based Youtuber Alex Lamas (Always say YES to Adventure), and blogger and writer Matt Spaiser (Bondsuits.com). The main interview at the end is with Peter Brooker, co-author of ‘From Tailors With Love’ (with Matt Spaiser) and ‘Boy Wanted on Saville Row’, a biography of Sir Timothy Everest. You can also find him at his podcast, ‘There Will Be Bond’, which is available from all great podcasting apps.

The podcast in in three main parts:

An examination of the 1954 novel, and what made it a best-seller in the UK. If JFK made 007 a household name in the USA, what made him a best-seller here in the UK years before? The Suez Canal Crisis, and the author’s high society connections, played a vital part.

Heading towards the 1973 movie features contributions from Roland Hulme examining ‘the race question’, Alex Lamas giving a take on authentic portrayals of New York, and Matt Spaiser, also in New York giving an overview of the menswear featured in the film.  

Finally, we have the interview with Pete Brooker, recorded in 2022, now released for the first time. Yes, that is the speed of my podcast, it’s analysis not news. He talks about having a shirt made from the same bolt of fabric, by the same shirtmaker, as the one worn by 007 in the movie.

Books I reference include:

·         Ian Fleming – the Complete Man, by Nicholas Shakespeare 

·         The Life of Ian Fleming, by John Pearson

·         The Man with the Golden Typewriter, edited by Fergus Fleming

·         Some Kind of Hero – The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films, by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhry  

·         The 007 Diaries, by Roger Moore 

Recommended Rabbit Hole: K. Hagen · The Spectre of “Bloody Morgan”: Ian Fleming’s Use of the Pirate Motif (available online): International Journal of James Bond Studies · Vol. 1, Issue 2 · Spring 2018

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