Info

Bond & Beyond

A 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.
RSS Feed
Bond & Beyond
2023
December
November
October


2022
December
October
September
August
July
June
May


2021
November
October
August
July
April
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
May
March


2019
December
November
September
August
July
May
April


2018
September
August
June
May
March
February


2017
December
November
October
September
July
June
May
April
March
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
June
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: 2017
Dec 19, 2017

Alex and James wrap up 2017 with a few of the emails that have been piling up in the Bond & Beyond inbox. Listen in as we answer your questions about what makes a great callback to earlier Bond films, and which of 007's ladies we'd like to settle down with. We also share our listeners' insight into burning questions like whether you can parasail with an umbrella, if you're allowed to drop bodies into Hong Kong harbour and why we're completely wrong on every level.

If you want to email us, you can do so via bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com. You can find us on Facebook (just search 'Bond & Beyond'), Twitter (@bondbeyondpod) and all our episodes are at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com.

Dec 6, 2017

Having vowed to keep this reviews a little shorter, Alex and James rattle through Roger Moore's fifth outing as 007: For Your Eyes Only.

Join them as they attempt to make sense of the seemingly endless and random string of incidents in which people try to kill Bond - all the while trying to avoid being distracted by that annoying ice skating teen, the so-bad-it's-brilliant soundtrack and Game of Thrones cameos.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". You can also email us via bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com.

Nov 4, 2017

James and Alex share their thoughts on what is perhaps Sean Connery's grandest outing. You Only Live Twice has everything: a sinister plot that threatens world dominations, great music, great locations, great action scenes, and plenty of insignificant holes for us to pick at.

Tune in to find out more about the secret Golf Ball meeting room that we the British use to police the world, the true identity of Connery's foe in the Osato office fight, the horrifying lines that came from the mind of children's writer, and poor old Ling.

You can find all out episodes at bondbeyondpod.tumblr.com.

Oct 13, 2017

Alex reports back from Casino Royale Live at the Albert Hall, which gives James another excuse to geek about how good James Bond soundtracks - particularly David Arnold's - are. 

The duo also touch on other Bond concerts they've been too and discuss which classic films they'd like to see get the Albert Hall treatment.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". You can also email us via bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com.

Sep 24, 2017

We finally attempt to review Spectre properly, two years after our initial impressions - plenty of time for the hype to die down. Listen as we discuss Blofeld's lack of socks, the finale's lack of tension, and the soundtrack's lack of effort. We also nail down where exactly we feel the film begins to to fall down in terms of quality - for James, it's  a lot later than you might think.

Naturally given the recent news of Craig's confirmed return and the two-year wait for Bond 25, there is no small amount of speculation as to how Spectre will stand up compared to the next film and where EON will take the series from here.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". You can also email us via bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com.

Sep 16, 2017

We're back after another apologetically but unavoidably long absence. Having finally been drip-fed the first details on the next James Bond film and Daniel Craig's confirmed return, we ponder what we can expect from the future of the series.

We also read out the latest letters that have made it to our inbox - an impressive feat, given that we've been giving you the wrong email address. If you do want to contact us, it's bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond".

Jul 18, 2017

Strap 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 more as they play Bond Anniversary Bingo, lament the film that could have been and struggle to remember that German nerd's name.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". Fancy sending us an email? Write to bondandbeyondpod@gmail.com

Jun 29, 2017

Alex 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 bondbeyondpod@gmail.com

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond".

May 23, 2017

James 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 went into the Venice Coffin Boat of Death, Q's designs for his first fishing boat and why in-flight magazines might be the secret of Bond's success. And, of course, the hover gondola.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". 

Apr 13, 2017

Join 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 and some genuinely great villains just seems to lack... something.

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 - just search "Bond and Beyond". 

Mar 23, 2017

Here 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 can chat to us on Twitter, @BondBeyondPod, or share you views at our new Facebook page - just search "Bond and Beyond". 

Jan 20, 2017

The 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 found at bondbeyodpod.tumblr.com. You can chat to us on Twitter, @BondBeyondPod, or share you views at our new Facebook page - just search "Bond and Beyond".

1