FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE MAN WITH A LICENCE TO KILL

BORN ON PAPER

James Bond started life on the page, his name taken from the cover of a Jamaican bird-watching book because author Ian Fleming wanted something as mundane as possible. Fleming was able to draw from some rich real-life experiences, having served in naval intelligence during World War II.

BIG MONEY

The figures vary, but Bond is clearly one of the most successful film franchises of all time, having spawned 25 official films and enough product placements to make a glossy magazine editor blush. Industry data site The Numbers places Bond in third place for worldwide box office takings, behind only the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars.

INTERNATIONAL AGENT

The various Bonds of the past 60 years have included Englishmen Daniel Craig and Roger Moore, Scotsman Sean Connery, George Lazenby from Australia, Timothy Dalton from Wales and Irishman Pierce Brosnan. In the novels, Bond is actually the son of a Scottish father and Swiss mother - both of whom die in a climbing accident when Bond is a boy.

CODE NAMES

The code name “007” has a specific meaning. The “00” designation signifies the agent’s licence to kill, while the “7” is his identification within the elite unit of MI6, Britain’s external intelligence service.

The M designating Bond’s boss comes from the “Missions Department”.

Q, who furnishes Bond with all his nifty gadgets, gets his moniker from “quartermaster” - a military term referring to the person in charge of supplies.

A FAMOUS FAN

One big name who gave Bond an early boost was President John F Kennedy, who cited From Russia With Love in his top 10 books.

Reportedly, it was also the last film he ever watched before leaving for Dallas in November 1963.