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Why Bond is the ultimate spy hero

'The spy story to end all spy stories'

With Bond, Ian Fleming set out to create "the spy story to end all spy stories". How did his 007 become the world's quintessential secret agent?

Almost 70 years after Fleming's debut novel was published, every other spy in books and film is still compared to his suave, stylish and apparently indestructible hero.

But what is it about James Bond's luxury travel-loving, womanising, martini-drinking character that stands head and shoulders above the rest?

In this video, BBC Culture takes a journey back in time to the origins of the spy story to find out why Fleming's 007 – who the writer originally intended to be "a dull, uninteresting man" – has endured for so long.

 

Click play on the video above to find out more.

Animator Daire Collins; producers Daniel John and Rebecca Laurence; script and voiceover Nicholas Barber

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