Courtesy of Sony Pictures

The best villain has to be Blofeld. The most iconic of Bond’s villains is also the obvious source for ‘Dr Evil’ in the Austin Powers trilogy. And of course, he has a fluffy white cat. And the worst, the gay pairing of Mr Kidd and Mr Wint provides some comic relief in Diamonds Are Forever. After a foiled attempt to blow up Bond with an explosive pudding, Mr Kidd proceeds to assault him with a pair of flaming Kebabs. The plan quite literally backfires.

For elegance, beauty and character development, look no further than Casino Royale’s stunning Eva Green for your best Bond Girl. Grace Jones, on the other hand, takes accolade as provider of the most awkward Bond sex scene ever in A View to a Kill. Picture Roger Moore at his oldest being thrown into submission.

Whilst Shirley Bassey’s iconic ‘Goldfinger’ remains one of the best Bond Themes of all time, ‘All Time High’ by Rita Coolidge, theme to 1983 Octopussy, is sheer dross. The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 has to be uncontested as the best gadget of all time. Award for the worst has to be the crocodile submarine Roger Moore emerges from in Octopussy. How many missions that specifically require a crocodile-shaped submarine is anyone’s guess.

Considering how many women Bond beds, he must have some pretty good lines to seal the deal. ‘When one is in Egypt one should sample its treasures’, says the ever-slick Roger Moore in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. We’re sure he was going for the ‘so bad its good’ angle. Bond’s worst attempt at suaveness has to be the post-coital Pierce Brosnan says to Dr. Christmas Jones ‘I thought Christmas only comes once a year’.

The best Bond moment has to be the laser beam scene in Goldfinger. It is the most parodied Bond scene of all time, an iconic piece of cinema brimming with tension. The cross-cutting between Bond and Goldfinger helps to create a sense that perhaps the secret agent is more vulnerable than he lets on. And the worst Bond moment, the gondola chase in Moonraker. For someone who’s meant to be a spy, Bond really makes little attempt to conceal his identity. Having been pursued by Drax’s henchman through the canals of Venice, Bond proceeds to land his gondola-cum-hovercraft and parade around the city streets. Cue camera shot to a confused looking pigeon.

And lastly, the most obvious piece of product placement has to have been when Sony acquired the Bond franchise prior to filming Casino Royale. As a result, the movie is littered with Sony products. Spot the product placement that helped fund Skyfall too.

 Guy Sparkes