The Living Highlights

What’s your fondest memory from working on the Bond movies?
It’s always hard to think those up. There’s certainly plenty of memories. Probably working on the first one, Goldfinger, running around after Guy Hamilton as a third assistant director. But there’s been so many others.

Have you kept any bits of Bond memorabilia?
Well, we have an archive and we buy things and donate things to it. We have this show coming to the Science Museum, and there’s a whole lot of Bond props and all the pictures in there.

So you don’t actually keep any of the cool gadgets yourself, then?
Personally, no. It all belongs to the company. I remember one James Bond auction where I met David Arnold, our composer, and he said: “God, did you hear? Some fool paid £50,000 for Oddjob’s hat! Can you imagine?” I said, “Yeah, I know the fool... Very well!” [laughs] So sometimes we have to buy those things back, unfortunately.

Do you keep in touch with the ex-Bonds?
Well, Roger and Timothy I see quite regularly. They’re very good friends. I don’t see Sean much. Our paths rarely cross. But I never really made a film with Sean – I mean I was around in the family, but... George Lazenby, I just saw. He’s doing great, real happy. So, yeah, I keep on good terms with all of the actors.

Do you have a favourite Bond song?
I think ‘Goldfinger’ has probably gotta be the most interesting. That’s the one that’s become the model for the female ballads.

ROBERT CARLYLE - The man who stole scenes as bullet-brained baddie Renard in The World Is Not Enough.

How did you get the part?
I actually don’t know. I went down and met them all at Pinewood, and it was just an incredibly easy meeting. They asked me what I thought of the Bond series and I can genuinely say I’m a bit of a fan of the Bond movies. I grew up with them. You can tell where you were at points in your life – you know, you’re watching ITV and the fucking Bond movie comes on, you go: “Oh, that was such-and-such a place and such-and-such a time.”

Have you kept any props as memorabilia?
Oh, absolutely [laughs]. I’ve got Renard’s wee security pass. It’s actually got the name Anatoli Something or other on it, ’cos it’s his fake one when he was in the nuclear bunker. I shoulda kept more gear, really. Shoulda kept more stuff.

You filmed all over the world. Which was your favourite location?
I liked Bilbao, it was a great city. We were in Bilbao and also in Saratoga and then we were up in the desert as well, which is not a pleasant place to be. Fucking wind whipping the sand in your face, it’s very... That was very Bond-like, actually.

What’s your favourite Bond song?
Song? Oh aye, oh... Maybe not a song so much as the theme – John Barry’s theme, I find. Is that allowed? ‘Cos that, to me, is Bond.