What an absolutely great documentary. The BBC used to be so good.

One of the best Bond documentaries I've seen - it gives a very in-depth, very personal viewpoint of how Ian Fleming lived his life and how his own individualism and approach to life shaped his creation of the world's greatest spy - excellent!

Wonderful documentary and a must-watch for any bond/Fleming fan

For anyone interested in Fleming I highly recommend The Life Of Ian Fleming by John Pearson, one of the most complete and readable biographies I've ever encountered. I'm re-reading it right now for the third time.

A video like this would been fun for every Fleming book.

The greatest doco on Bond/Fleming EVER Definitely going into my favourites list

Ian Fleming was actually issued a Colt 1908, .25 in WWII. He kept it after the war and it is listed in his estate. Serial number 257024 . See COLT FORUM for details. The gun is listed as a Browning .25 , however the serial number does not match a Browning. I does match a Colt made in 1920. However Flemings gun could have been a FN, made in Belgium with an identical serial number as the Colt .25 ...

This Is Fantastic Programme About Ian Fleming,

all Bond's were excellent, but sir roger my fav, and Daniel Craig the best depiction of what Bond is supposed to be like

Fantastic documentary in the life and career of Ian Fleming. Thank you.

in hi school every summer or so i was excited to read the new james bond book. they gave me hope for the future::::adventures ahead.

Pop-culture mavens, Bondians, etc., absorb this: This is PURE GOLD. Advisory: This is as much about Fleming as it is about his creation; if you're open to the possibility that his real life could be as fascinatingly riveting as Bond's fictional one (it is), you will love this. A special treat: At 14:17 you get to see the very first Bond-on-film, made for American television, and with two casting surprises, one of them HUGE, when you realize by whom the very first on-screen Bond Villain was played...

Just finished reading the novel, so good timing that I found this video. Very interesting. Thanks!

At this same Casino Ian Fleming is talking about in Lisbon was a double agent by the name of Dusko Popov. He is the one who was gambling and beating the Germans for their money. James Bond is an amalgamation of a number of people I think but the sophisticated parts of him I believe come from Dusko Popov. He spoke numerous languages....was a ladies man and operated for British Intelligence during WWII and after. He actually gave J. Edgar Hoover and the Americans information about Pearl Harbour before it happened. They either ignored it or allowed it to happen much like many people think of 911. He was a double agent during WWII supposedly working for German Intelligence but actually working for Mi5.

One of the few EON films that takes the actual story from the book - hallelujah !!!!

That was really enjoyable, I find myself wishing there was more, what a fascinating life. I wonder what he'd think if he could see just much longevity and success his character has achieved all these years later. I'll bet he'd be surprised Bond was still going strong 67 years later and counting. It would also be interesting to see what he might think if he could see Craig's Bond today, I'll bet he'd be very happy with the current Bond, James Bond.

13:00 I laughed with surprise when he said Deauville. As a Canadian air force military brat living in Paris from '56 to '60 (S.H.A.P.E. HQ), we camped on weekends on the Normandy shoreline at Deauville, and Trouville, and Cabourg. Small world indeed.

Royale les Eaux is actually based on Le Touquet. This is born out by the descriptions of the outside of the casino, opposite the hotel Hermitage, the drive through the corniche to try and get Vespa. And in 1932 it was the highest revenue casino in the world. The general location and name and possibly inside the casino are based on Deauville.

Thoroughly an in depth and enjoyable documentary well narrated and interesting.

Flemming uses adjectives like I've never heard before. Very good writer and what a life.

Vesper Lynd was based on Countess Krystana Skarbek who he allegedly had an affair with. I tried to get a plaque put up via EH at the hotel where the Countess lived throughout WW II and the 1950's and where she was eventually murdered, but sadly it wasn't to be!

Good doco. I started on Bond, James Bond that is, in my early teens back in the seventies. 1970's that is. Casino Royale is my favorite Bond book. I loved Ian's prose, the description of how baccarat is played. Read that book a couple dozen times over the years. It was a big disappointment that no one had made a serious Casino Royale until the recent Craig version, which is a pretty good movie. The earlier Niven version was a comedy, and a good one, just not a take of the book at all.

Back when the bbc made decent documentaries with the publics money

The Bond theme song never gets old!!

Great upload, thank you!

"You only live twice Mr. Bond." "And you'll only live once Blofeld."

Great video. Why not do more documentaries like this on other Bond novels by Fleming?

He had lots of girlfriends because he was not serious about them. Don't give them everything, and they love you.

well thought out ... bravo!

An idol of my generation , I had all the books and a model of a Walther PKK. The origin of all his stories where based on real people and situation of ww2. And .... I also had been in the Lisbon casino as a tourist many years later

And the incident in the book in which the two youngest loves working for the Soviets or killed when the camera case with the explosive and it goes off was based on a true incident that Fleming was aware of. I’m surprised no documentary ever mentions this but one of the early books about Fleming and the bond books talks all about it. Sorry about the run-on sentence chaps!

i've been looking forward to it

Fleming is a bad boy in his times He is James bond !!!

Excellent viewing..

Amazing, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Absolutely stunning video.❤️

On Her Majesty` s Secret Service - and this one: Casino Royale (2006) are for me the best Bond films.. BTW thanks for this documentary.. very interesting & entertaining

The Guy Knew How to live.

Very good documentary. It mentions how bothered Brits were by the decline of British power and influence. I think this was manifested most strongly in You Only Live Twice, in which the Brits show resentment towards America for viewing Asia as under their sphere of influence, not Britain's. Tiger Tanaka doesn't hesitate to point out the decline of the British Empire to Bond. Bond replies defensively that it was a Brit who had conquered Everest, and Brits were still winning Olympic medals. Fleming didn't think much of the CIA, Felix Leiter notwithstanding.

Deauville, the name of the Hotel next to the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach. (where the BeaTles played)

The best Casino Royale is the 1967 comedy starring Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursela Andress, Orsen Wells, Joanna Pettet etc - more stars in this movie than any other I have ever watched including Woody Allen's first starring role. Oh, and soundtrack by Herb Alpert....

Christine Granville seems to have been one hell of a woman. Fleming certainly had good taste! Polish countess.

August 12, 2019 is the 55th anniversary of British author/naval officer Ian Fleming ( 1908 - 1964 ) creator of the James bond novels Visited all the Ian Fleming sites, Belgravia London, obelisk grave at St James church in Sevenhampton, southwest of Highworth, his house on the beach of St Margaret bay at Kent coast and the Royal St George club near Sandwich...

Very well done.

Great work! Thank heavens the film adaptation steered away from the American Jimmy Bond idea!

Truly superb, thankyou

Dam he died so young, imagine the many more Bond novels he would've created :-(

Fleming introduced many new innovative cultural firsts: 1. Fleming used to report in the situation while happening rather than about the situation: beginning of Gonzo Journalism which Hunter Thompson lifted. 2. Flemings careful attention to "brands" like Bentley, Ritz Carlton, Ronson lighters, Dior dresses, was the beginning of brand positioning in art. 3. Flemmings casual sexual escapades and misogyny surrounded by gadgets was inspiration for Hefner and Playboy magazine. He was at the forefront of a cultural sexual revolution.

Visited the Casino Estoril on a couple of occasions... the atmosphere was perfect for the actual movie. I wonder why they didn’t use it?

One of my favorite fictional characters of all time💯

Actually, the gambling incident was based on a true story involving Dusko Popov, the real life spy on whom the JB character was based.

Fleming’s golf club was Huntercombe, which is just a mile or so from the House in Nettlebed. I think it’s the case that in Goldfinger, Goldfinger and Bond play their golf match at Sandwich in Kent but Bond say that he keeps his handicap at Huntercombe.

Who on earth out that deafening background music in?

How I wish I could go back to 2006

nice movies to watch.

In the 1954 TV adaptation, the guy playing Leiter looks and sounds far more like Fleming's Bond than the actor playing Bond.

Interesting that they use some of the soundtrack from the 'spoof' movie in this!

I just finished reading this book. Amazing. 13 more to go....

What is the piece of music in the background at 12:30?

Could someone please tell me the song being played at 27:05 , thanks

51:31 Isn't this music from Gattaca?

does anyone realize that the physical description and partial background description are based on Fleming best friend David Niven who was a Lt Col in the British Army WW2 as well as a Hollywood actor and member of the aristocracy,

This is good.

Interesting!

If this interests you I can recommend “The Outsider”, Frederick Forsyth’s memoir.

I found reading Casino Royal back then as a book rather creepy, someone describing how drowning feels like...

An incident related by one of the pioneer quants who gambled looks a lot like when Bond was poisoned. The house it would appear drugged Edward Thorp as he had figured a way to tip the odds in his favour. The incident is retold in Scott Patterson's book The Quants.

The inspiration for Casino Royal came from his stay at the Palacio in Estoril the casino Estoril was next door I have stayed many times over the last 30 years

Brilliant

It just occurred to me that Bonds first antagonist is “The Number” and Bond himself is known to his government by a number. Likely not a coincidence.

I find strange to hear ''Thunderball theme song'' in thiis video about ''Casino Royal''!

Fleming's interviewer sounds like the American Bond writer Richard Maibaum.

Before the war Ian Flemming gambled at the casino In Deippe. When he planned the Deippe raid he knew perfectly what was in store.

I have a tape of Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler comparing their characters. Somewhere.

Check out - "Becoming Bond " - a 5 part TV thing on UK TV - very good - well done...

I wonder why the game described in the novel is hardly played anymore ?

There have been at least 2 Casino Royale, one in the mid sixties, the other in 2006, with Daniel Craig.

They keep playing the theme from thunderball.....

What relation is Chris Lee to Fleming ?

Richard Wattis was in the spoof movie!

So, I grew up watching the Bond movies. They begin just before I was born but I've seen all of them more than once each. For my money, Daniel Craig plays the best Bond. I like the fact that he gets bashed up, that there are consequences to his bravado, that there is a human under the dinner jacket. But in many ways Craig's Bond is an utterly separate character from Connery's take on the role. Connery IS the classic Bond: cool, suave, and a professional womanizer. But Craig portrays Bond closer to how Fleming wrote him. As Vesper put it in 'Casino', a 'maladjusted man who gives little thought to sacrificing others for Queen and Country. You know, former SAS types with easy smiles and expensive watches...'

This documentary has a 1990s feel to it

There is a new documentary on where the real person James Bond Character was based on, as well as other aspects of his life: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qNVxftKVr5m4pYE.html

14:30 - They should have cast those two the other way around...

Song @28:00-anyone?

"most famous fictional character of all time" other than Santa Claus, Dracula. Mickey mouse, Mario, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, Superman.... I'm not sure if James Bond even cracks the top 20 of this list

17:36 not true. Baccarat is absolutely widely played in Casinos all around Macau 🇲🇴 these days. A lot of fun!

I walked those steps and fell down, in the rain )))

What to know...

Barry Nelson - 1954 James Bond in Casino Royale.

la maquina de escriir que se ve en este video don de ian fleming, escribio en su casa de veano en jamaica, goldeneyer. es una maquina portatil inglesa maquina escribir inglesa triumph TENGO EN MI COLECCION BONDIANA/FLEMING una igual...del mismo colores abajo beinge y arriba un poco mas clar...

Orson Wells is the man

If the word "real" in the title is to be believed then the only one we should be hearing from is Fleming. Actors who haven't done shit with their lives except read from a script are all sizzle *NO STEAK* .

RTE has a documentary on Kevin McClory.

Good film and story ("Casino Royale") but I couldn't stand the torture scene.

Ian Fleming Had To Have Lived A Life Simular To James Bond 007 To Write About Him And The Second World War Was A Perfect Time In His Incredible Life To Write About A Legend. Right!

Curious if Fleming was "taken out" as he was saying too much.

Fleming sounds similar to Michael Redgrave when he speaks.

Look Like You had to be Mr Atlas to Keep the Car on the Road.

That's not David Niven!