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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.
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Now displaying: 2018
Sep 1, 2018

And so we finally come to the last Bond & Beyond review for 007's cinematic adventures (until they make more of them).

James and Alex go through every detail of Roger Moore's final outing as the iconic British spy, from the questionable use of the Beach Boys to Max Zorin's on-brand choice of explosives and his eye for a bargain when it comes to Plot Tables.

We waste an hour in France with horses, meet an Avenger (not the Marvel kind), pick holes in the geography of the San Francisco car chase, and spend far too much time thinking about that iceberg submarine. We also struggle to contain our fear of Grace Jones and our love for John Barry's penultimate Bond score.

As you'll hear at the start of the episode, the review unfortunately also contains an audio glitch, for which we apologise. We promise it shan't happen again.

And as you'll hear at the end of the show, this will be the last Bond & Beyond for some considerable time - but fear not, for like Bond himself, we will return.

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.

Aug 22, 2018

As we prepare to take a break from the podcast - panic not, Bond & Beyond will return - James and Alex dust off the last few emails and messages we've received.

These address hard-hitting questions, like the ones posed to Mythbuster Matt about Never Say Never Again's urine fight, or whether we actually do any research for this show.

APOLOGY: There seems to be a slight audio problem with this episode where our voices suddenly drop an octave for a few minutes at a time. It only happens twice before 17m23, and after that it's our normal voices. We tried to address this but our efforts just made things sounds worse!

The audio is improved for View To A Kill, which was recorded immediately after this episode.

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.

Oh, and be sure to check out Maarten Vande Wiele's excellent Octopussy comics here: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/octopussyinstagramstory/

Aug 4, 2018

Alex and James take a look at the unofficial Bond film and Sean Connery's final silver screen outing as 007. Borne out of a legal dispute between Thunderball director Kevin McClory and everyone who actually made Bond film, Never Say Never Again is a beat-for-beat repeat of Connery's fourth adventure - in some way better, in other much worse.

Listen in as we discuss Bond's challenging mission of... er... going on a diet, two of the nuttiest villains he's ever faced, the wonderful Pat Roach, a Blofeld who enjoys his job too much, a forgettable soundtrack, and the completely unjustified appearance of Mr Bean.

Jun 2, 2018

With EON Productions finally announcing both a distributor and a director, it's time to start speculating about Bond 25 (again).

Trainspotting and 127 Hours director Danny Boyle takes the helm, meaning we can expect a very different Bond film compared to 007's previous outings, but that's just the beginning of our questions.

How will Craig end his era of reinvention for the franchise? Will Christoph Waltz's Blofeld turn up? Will Boyle push for a jukebox-style soundtrack? Will there be time-hops? Will James Bond be revealed as a codename? Will Bond die? How upset will Alex and James be if that happens?

And once all that madness calms down, we have the latest messages from our incredible listeners - including the latest scientific insight from Mythbuster Matt.

May 16, 2018

With apologies to Gobinda.

Bond & Beyond finally gets round to reviewing one of Alex's favourites, and perhaps a hidden gem among Moore's various outings as 007 - and no, that's not a jewellery smuggling pun.

Alex and James discuss the strangely perfect mix of camp and complex, where a film that is ultimately about James Bond disarming a nuclear bomb while disguised as a circus clown somehow manages to marry excellent villains, surprisingly strong female characters and a lot of cheesy gags together.

Listen on as they discuss a plot that's so convoluted the villain can't keep up, the remarkable nature of sari stunts, questionable child-targeting merchandise and crocodile submarine logistics. Oh, and somehow forget the henchman's name all the way through (sorry, Gobinda).

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.

Mar 22, 2018

Alex and James are joined by British composer Richard Jacques – best known for his work on countless video games, including 007: Blood Stone.

Recorded in his own studio, this episode discusses what gives soundtracks that Bond-like quality, Jacques' own experiences (and various direct connections) to the franchise, and the art of making music for video games.

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.

Feb 22, 2018

Alex and James are once again joined by author and Bond fan Mark O'Connell to discuss Sean Connery's (sort of) swansong as Ian Fleming's 007.

Once again recording in a secret (and absurdly professional) location, we discuss Diamonds Are Forever - perhaps the campest, definitely the Vegasest Bond outing to date.

Listen in as we celebrate Tiffany Case, argue about Plenty O'Toole, groan over the Moon Buggy chase, delight in the laser-in-space plot and generally delve deeply into this all-time classic. 

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.

Feb 7, 2018

Alex and James are joined by very special guest Mark O'Connell, author of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan.

Recording in a top secret location (hence the much better sound quality), we grill Mark about his earliest experiences with 007, his thoughts on the Craig films and where they might be heading, changing attitudes towards the series and his fascinating family connection to the filmmakers themselves.

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.

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