Ah, James Bond! The films we used to watch on Christmas Day before Harry Potter and Wallace & Gromit came along!

I can't honestly say I have a favourite, truth be told, unless it's the non-canon and hilarious 1967 spoof Casino Royale.

Certainly the Connery films (and I include OHMSS in these) had a darker edge, but lacked the more realistic elements of The Quiller Memorandum or The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. For that matter, I also preferred Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in The IPCRESS File,

The Moore period and, after Timothy Daltons' abortive run, Pierce Brosnans', demonstrated what I always thought Bond should be - lightweight comedy-adventures with gadgets, girls and car-chases. Moores' Bond was promiscuous, yes, but it felt like he was that way because he liked women. Connery always managed to convey a hint of the literary Bonds' misogyny. But then Connery was an Actor, where Moore (and Brosnan) were/are Leading Men, and there is a difference!

(Side note, Derren Nesbitt once told me that he was standing next to Moore on set (an episode of The Saint or something) and Moore remarked "You know, Derren, I'm very tall, very suave and have a good speaking voice. I'm just terrified that one day they'll realise that I can't fucking act!")

Craig I don't even consider. As well as being physically wrong, his working-class Bond takes something essential out of the character. There's a bit too much Jason Bourne in there as well. Craig would have been better suited to playing Quiller or Callan.

Oh, well. At least there's one spy left who knows the difference between Oxfords and Brogues (even if they did get it wrong in the film).