Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond

If you are a James Bond fan, then you would love Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond, a BBC Mini-series that first aired January 29, 2014. The story is about Ian Fleming, the debonair, mysterious creator of James Bond whose real life was just as exciting and sexually charged as that of his famous creation. His world was full of WWII Admirals, sexy socialites, and femme fatales which makes it very easy to see just how he dreamed up that famous spy named Bond.

Dominic Cooper and Lara Pulver in their roles as Ian Fleming and Ann O'Neill

The series is an adaptation of biographies about Fleming's life, and shows how aspects of Fleming's history inspired his James Bond novels. In fact, in many ways Fleming was Bond in the flesh, even down to his real-life Bond girl, Ann O'Neill.

The show starts out in 1938 London where Fleming is a very naughty playboy. Soon, the war comes calling and he is turned into a very useful war weapon. Fleming’s ability to spin a tale makes him a perfect fit for espionage and quickly takes him from pushing paper to stealing secrets. You don't get to see Fleming involved in a lot of the action of the war, as he was better at dreaming up those sequences instead of living them, but he did ooze the charm and sex appeal that Bond/Fleming have become known for. And just so you know and are prepared for those scenes, Ann and Ian have a rather 'unconventional' sexual relationship.

The characters in the show give you a clear picture of how Fleming was inspired by those he knew and used them as inspirations for the characters in his books. You definitely get a sense of the Bond Girls, M, and Moneypenny.

Lara Pulver as Ann O'Neill and Annabelle Wallis as Muriel Wright

Samuel West as Rear Admiral John Godfrey

Anna Chancellor as Second Officer Monday

Without giving anything away, I can tell you that I loved this series and wished that it was longer than it was, although I did feel that four episodes was the perfect length for the mini-series, you got enough of the information you needed to fill in the blanks of Fleming's life and it was a fun look into the creator of one of the most fascinating characters in pop culture.  I definitely think it was worth watching.

Swooning over Dominic Cooper's portrayal of Ian Fleming