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The origin of the idea that James Bond would take over from M as Head of the British Secret Service?
Dragonpol
https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
It's one of those threads that does what it says on the tin, folks, but bear with me as I elaborate...
I'm not at all sure where/if I read this somewhere many years ago, but it's been bugging the life out of me over the last few weeks and I thought that it was high time that I actually did something about it and started a new thread on this very subject. Google searches have been futile on this question, so I thought I would turn to my fellow MI6 agents and their vast and varied knowledge base and expertise to see if anyone out there can come up with an answer to this one. Does anyone know where I read the idea that was bandied about that once the old male M would retire Commander James Bond as an older secret agent would be the ideal candidate to take over the function of the Head of the British Secret Service, or less romantically the Secret Intelligence Service or MI6.
The idea itself is a little like Ian Fleming's commandeering the 30 Assault Unit (his "Red Indians") during World War II when he was the Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence. And on the successor to M, might Chief of Staff Bill Tanner be a better choice?
Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have posted this thread in the Literary 007 section, but truth be told it could have been in a book on the films. I just want to know if others have ever heard of this theory (and where exactly) or whether it was all a wonderful (mad?) thought of my own?!
It's an esoteric but nonetheless fascinating proposition, but what else do you expect from @Dragonpol at this stage?! Esoterica is my only stock in trade.
Thanks,
Dragonpol.
I'm not at all sure where/if I read this somewhere many years ago, but it's been bugging the life out of me over the last few weeks and I thought that it was high time that I actually did something about it and started a new thread on this very subject. Google searches have been futile on this question, so I thought I would turn to my fellow MI6 agents and their vast and varied knowledge base and expertise to see if anyone out there can come up with an answer to this one. Does anyone know where I read the idea that was bandied about that once the old male M would retire Commander James Bond as an older secret agent would be the ideal candidate to take over the function of the Head of the British Secret Service, or less romantically the Secret Intelligence Service or MI6.
The idea itself is a little like Ian Fleming's commandeering the 30 Assault Unit (his "Red Indians") during World War II when he was the Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence. And on the successor to M, might Chief of Staff Bill Tanner be a better choice?
Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have posted this thread in the Literary 007 section, but truth be told it could have been in a book on the films. I just want to know if others have ever heard of this theory (and where exactly) or whether it was all a wonderful (mad?) thought of my own?!
It's an esoteric but nonetheless fascinating proposition, but what else do you expect from @Dragonpol at this stage?! Esoterica is my only stock in trade.
Thanks,
Dragonpol.
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Comments
No, but I forgot about that! Good call, @QBranch. There are some interesting ideas in that film for sure!
And no, I don't subscribe to the Codename Theory - this is just something I think I read somewhere, but can't remember where for the life of me!
In any event a crap idea so lets hope it never comes to pass.
Might it have been mentioned in passing in Pearson's Authorised Biog? Maybe somewhere near the end Bond might say something like they made him an offer but its not for him? Don't think so though.
"he would now be an old man perhaps ready to retire in M's job"
Anthony Burgess, my favourite writer. I never thought he could be at the beginning of this. But he was merely speculating about the effect of ageing over Bond, something that has scarcely been explored in the movies. I think the comes more from CR67, and is a sort of by-product of the codename theory.
Ah! I think that may be it! Thanks so much, @harkaway! I remember that 1987 Introduction well, but have not really read over it for some years. If anyone knows of any other mentions in critical books like Amis or O.F. Snelling or whatever please add your mentions to this thread. I never expected to get such a good response to this one and I agree with @TheWizardOfIce that it's not a great idea, though I do find it kind of interesting as an Alternative Reality Bond idea, quite apart from the rest of the Bond universe we know and love.
It's just that I have a real feeling that it was mentioned elsewhere myself...
Oh, I think this one predates the Codename Theory by many decades by my reasoning and it's much for credible for an aging Bond, too, I might add. You could say it was a long lost older brother of the Codename Theory though I guess.
Agreed. What would be next? Bond's son, James Bond Jr, becoming the new 007 and having to take orders from Daddy?
Now that's an interesting alternative nugget of information there, @thelivingroyale. It adds to the Bond one somewhat. By the way I'm not suggesting that it was a good or a bad idea, I'm just glad to find out that it exists really and that I was not at all mistaken in thinking I had read it somewhere before at some point in time.
As always, if anyone else knows more on this theory of James Bond taking over from M, whatever the source, I'd really love to hear from you as it's all grist to the mill!
Well it was the wrong choice of word on my part, then. "Speculation" is definitely a much better word and it fits in well with what Anthony Burgess said, if in fact there is an earlier version of this concept of Boind taking over from M.
Personally, I prefer to imagine that James Bond ultimately retires quietly to Jamaica to pursue his lifelong passion for ornithology. But that's just me.
Any chance of you quoting your sources for this statement?
I wouldn't say having sat through a lecture about the Audubon society by Pleydell Smith or getting a bit annoyed when Scaramanga shoots two crows qualifies as a lifelong passion myself.
Interesting to hear of this idea's heritage. I wasn't aware it was about so long but I'd love to know of any sources for this that you may have to add.
I believe, although I'm not @00Ed, that it's a reference to Bond's being named after an ornithologist (the source of one of the few tolerable gags in Die Another Day), combined with Ian Fleming's love for all things Jamaican.
Honestly, @Dragonpol, every time I've heard the Bond-becomes-M theory, it has been mere fan speculation on a message board or in a live conversation. Some people may have gotten the idea from CR67. Others may have heard it from someone else. Still others may have imagined it independently. Whatever the case, I get the sense that it is one of the more perennially popular End-of-Bond scenarios, the other being that Bond and Blofeld would kill each other in a final confrontation (I've heard that Tom Mankiewicz actually wrote a screenplay with that conclusion).
You've nailed it, @Soundofthesinners. It's just my own personal 4th-Wall-breaking gag. My preferred End-of-Bond scenario would have him retire from Her Majesty's Secret Service, move to Jamaica, take up ornithology, and ultimately publish a book titled Birds of the West Indies. This book would then inspire an aspiring novelist to name a fictional character after him.
Thank you for that, @00Ed. It's great to hear this idea is well known in Bond fandom. Also, I'd not heard of the Bond-Blofeld battle to the death scenario before - do you have any sources for that? Most intriguing.
I also like your suggestion of what Bond did in retirement. In fact, it sounds like what Fleming did with Bond's Obituary in The Times in YOLT!
I'm afraid that my sources for the Bond vs. Blofeld thing are mostly on-line articles and message board posts that I haven't bothered to save. I'll see if I can dig up a link or something. I've made a few cursory searches for the rumored Mankiewicz screenplay (which I first heard about in the late '90s from an alt.fan.james-bond contributor who called himself "Proteus"), but I haven't come up with anything. At this point, I'm less than convinced that it really exists.
And as for Bond's retirement, yes, the thought is a little bit along the line of the YOLT obit. Congratulations, you know your Fleming.
Well, thank you for making the effort to look out for those posts for me. I really appreciate that. And on Ian Fleming's work, yes, I do try.
Do you have any more quotes from Burgess?