Hunting a real James Bond

HIS name is Bond, James Bond. And as you'd expect from the slippery superspy, he's not an easy man to track down. He may be 40 this year, but he's also a master of disguise, an expert in the art of disappearing without trace. So tracking him to his Yorkshire hideaway was never going to be easy.

But you don't get to be a newshound on the Evening Press without having that killer instinct: that nose for a trail that's almost, but not quite, cold.

Looking for a Yorkshire James Bond? Simple things first. Try the phone book.

There are a few Bonds in York: a couple of J Bonds, even, and three with the initials DJ. My name's Bond. DJ Bond. Close enough.

Most of them, with Machiavellian cunning, were refusing to answer their telephones. Suspicious, but press on...

Then one slipped up.

He was one of the DJ Bonds, from out Crayke way. Ideal hiding place for a secret agent. But even though he made the mistake of answering his phone, he wasn't going to give in easily.

"Is your name James?"

"No, it's John."

"I don't suppose you're a spy, are you?"

Startled silence. "I'm retired. I used to be an actuary."

Next up was a J Bond of Bridlington. A little further afield, but a good place for a spy to hide. You can imagine him slipping out across the channel one dark night in a dinghy, face blackened with soot. J. Bond too made the mistake of answering the phone: but his answer was a disappointment.

"John Bond."

"You're not a... spy, are you?"

No, a retired manager. "But I spy on my wife when she goes shopping."

Last shot. An SJ Bond up in Whitby. Something about him just looked right...

He answered. "Excuse me, but... the J in your name, it doesn't stand for James, does it?"

"It does. My father's name was James, too."

Bingo! And it got better. He wasn't a spy - but he had served in the RAF for 28 years. "Radar operator. I was serving in Hong Kong when the first Bond film came out, Dr No. I had a bit of ribbing. They nicknamed me Jimmy."

And what about your father, James Bond? "He was an engineer. He was stopped speeding in Slough once. The press were ready. They phoned up and asked what car was he driving, was it an Aston Martin?

"He said, no, it was a Mini. A Mini Cooper, they asked? He said no, it was a straight Mini.

"Actually, my father was more like Ernie Wise. He was short, gentle, grey-haired. He did want to go in the Navy, but he had a lazy eye."

Glad that one's been cleared up. While he may not be a spy, however, 53-year-old Mr Bond junior (first name Steven) does share some characteristics with his famous screen near-namesake. "I haven't got a tuxedo that fits me, but when I was in Hong Kong I did do waterskiing and a bit of sailing. And I suppose I did have an eye for the ladies."

He's been a star of the small screen, too - though 'star' might perhaps be too strong a word for it. "I'm a walk-on extra for Heartbeat. I get one day a month on average. I've been police officers, railway porters, even the station master's wife's lover."

His own love life has been less tangled, however - happily married for 30 years to wife Jenny and with a son called Jeremy.

Jeremy? "I did think at the time that if I carried on the family name he would get a lot of ribbing. He still does, anyway."

Both father and son happily play along. "We've even got the James Bond theme on our mobile phones."

Sadly, a Steven James Bond with a father named James is about as close as this neck of the woods comes to providing a real-life James Bond. At least as far as extensive investigations by this particular sleuth could reveal.

But why does it matter, you ask? Well, because it's his birthday. The real James Bond, that is.

Believe it or not, it is 40 years since Sean Connery lit up the big screen with that smouldering, wolfish look he raked over Ursula Andress as she emerged bikini-clad from the sea in the first Bond movie, Dr No.

For many, he's remained the best Bond of them all, despite the character's many incarnations. But if you're not sure, and need a bit of help making your mind up, now is your chance.

Opening at Bradford's National Museum of Photography, Film and Television tomorrow is the Bond exhibition to end all Bond exhibitions.

Bond, James Bond aims to be the ultimate 007 experience.

Armed with a special agent swipe card, you'll get to register as an MI6 operative, have a mission briefing in M's office, drop in on Q's workshop and take part in a death-defying stunt before a final showdown with some of Bond's deadliest adversaries. All the while, you'll be trying to gather intelligence to help you crack the secret of the organisation behind James Bond and win you secret agent status.

Along the way, you'll get the chance to see Oddjob's deadly bowler hat, Rosa Klebb's flick-knife shoes, Jaws' murderous teeth and Bond's latest Aston Martin (to be featured in Bond film number 20, Die Another Day starring Pierce Brosnan and Judi Dench, scheduled for release in November). Plus plenty more Bond favourites.

You'll also get to see behind the making of the films, walk through the famous gun barrel tunnel that features in the opening credits, have a go at creating one of the 'girls and guns' title sequences, and check out story boards and models from some of the Bond films' most heart-stopping action sequences.

"For 40 years the James Bond films have brought excitement and glamour from exotic locations around the world, making 007 one of the best-recognised and most popular characters ever created," says Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.

Now that glamour and excitement is coming to Bradford.

It should leave you shaken, if not stirred.

- Bond, James Bond runs in Bradford from March 23 to September 1, before moving to the Science Museum in London in October. Tickets are £6 (£4.50 concessions). For more information ring the Box Office on 01274 202030

Updated: 10:39 Friday, March 22, 2002