"Number 10's making ugly noises"

Signed_By_RogerMoore

Studying politics at university, I was always interested at how Number 10/British Prime Minister is referred to in the series. There are numerous quotes littered throughout the series that highlight Number 10's satisfaction (or more often than not, dissatisfaction) at the events in a Bond film. As such, I thought an interesting way to categorise the films would be picking which Prime Minister presided over the best sequence of James Bond films. There are 9 different era's to represent 9 different prime ministers (Skyfall will see bond serve his 10th Prime Minister in David Cameron). I have listed below the eras below with the name of the prime minister and the years they were in office with the films made when they were in power.

UPDATE: Special thanks to St_George for his additional information regarding specific dates.

Harold Macmillan
(Jan 10 1957 - Oct 18 1963)

Dr. No (*release date: Oct 5 1962)
From Russia With Love (*Oct 11 1963)

Alec Douglas-Home
(Oct 18 1963 - Oct 16 1964)

Goldfinger (*Sep 17 1964)

Harold Wilson
(Oct 16 1964 - June 19 1970)
(Mar 4 1974 - Apr 5 1976)

Thunderball (*Dec 9 1965)
You Only Live Twice (*Jun 12 1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (*Dec 18 1969)
The Man With The Golden Gun (*Dec 19 1974)

Edward Heath
(Jun 19 1970 - Mar 4 1974)

Diamonds are Forever (*Dec 14 1971)
Live and Let Die (*Jun 27 1973)

James Callaghan
(Apr 5 1976 - May 4 1979)

The Spy Who Loved Me (*July 7 1977)

Margaret Thatcher
(May 4 1979 - Nov 28 1990)

Moonraker (*Jun 26 1979)
For Your Eyes Only (*Jun 24 1981)
Octopussy (*Jun 6 1983)
A View To A Kill (*May 22 1985)
The Living Daylights (*Jun 29 1987)
Licence To Kill (*Jun 13 1989)

John Major
(Nov 28 1990 - May 2 1997)

GoldenEye (*Nov 17 1995)

Tony Blair
(May 2 1997 - Jun 27 2007)

Tomorrow Never Dies (*Dec 12 1997)
The World Is Not Enough (*Nov 8 1999)
Die Another Day (*Nov 18 2002)
Casino Royale (*Nov 14 2006)

Gordon Brown
(June 27 2007 - May 11 2010)

Quantum of Solace (*Oct 29 2008

Kerim

Prime Ministers may come and go, but the Queen remains the same.

4EverBonded

Yes. For queen and country!
No. 10 is usually kindly referred to as "the PM" isn't he/she? Rather like a grumpy aunt or uncle weighing in.

JWESTBROOK

Wilson definitely had the best run.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

Macmillan with the best run. Combine the classic origin in DN, the raw espionage and thrilling FRWL, Connery in both to boot along with some of the most ruthless moments like DN killing Dent and Grant, how can you compare??

Signed_By_RogerMoore said:
Studying politics at university, I was always interested at how Number 10/British Prime Minister is referred to in the series. There are numerous quotes littered throughout the series that highlight Number 10's satisfaction (or more often than not, dissatisfaction) at the events in a Bond film. As such, I thought an interesting way to categorise the films would be picking which Prime Minister presided over the best sequence of James Bond films. There are 9 different era's to represent 9 different prime ministers (Skyfall will see bond serve his 10th Prime Minister in David Cameron). I have listed below the eras below with the name of the prime minister and the years they were in office with the films made when they were in power.

Harold Macmillan (1957-1963

Dr. No
From Russia With Love

Alec Douglas-Home

Goldfinger

Harold Wilson 1964-1970 and 1974-1976

Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Edward Heath 1970-1974

Diamonds are Forever
Live and Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun

James Callaghan 1976-1979

The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker

Margaret Thatcher 1979-1990

For Your Eyes Only (Obviously ;) haha)
Octopussy
A View To A Kill
The Living Daylights
Licence To Kill

John Major 1990-1997

Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies

Tony Blair 1997-2007

The World Is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Casino Royale

Gordon Brown

Quantum of Solace

Are you a political scientist or did you take politics only as a course?

thelivingroyale

Brown had the worst run, he got one film and it just happened to be QOS.

As much as I don't like her, Thatcher had the best run.

DaltonCraig007

How long as Elizabeth II been in power ? 1952, correct ? So in that case her reign even predates the first Fleming novel !!!!!

forgotmyusername

I wonder if there is a Number 2 Downing Street, now that would make some ugly noises?

What a baron period it was after Thatcher the snatcher, no Bond film for how many years?

89 until 95? Ouch! That was bad.

darren_blacksmith

Another interesting question is how many of the Prime Ministers visited the Bond sets when the pictures were in production? I believe either Harold Wilson or James Callaghan visited the TSWLM supertanker set, and I have a feeling Maggie Thatcher once visited one of the sets?

Samuel001

David Cameron visited the Skyfall set this year.

actonsteve

[shudders] My personal bete noir the milk snatcher coincides with my favourite films.

Oh the shame!

Samuel001

It's worked to the series' strength to not mention the PM in the films. There are very few references that I can count.

Signed_By_RogerMoore

darren_blacksmith said:
Another interesting question is how many of the Prime Ministers visited the Bond sets when the pictures were in production? I believe either Harold Wilson or James Callaghan visited the TSWLM supertanker set, and I have a feeling Maggie Thatcher once visited one of the sets?

Harold Wilson opened the sound stage at Pinewood I know that much. Ever the populist, he regularly tried to leach off the success of the series by inviting Connery to Number 10.

Samuel001 said:
It's worked to the series' strength to not mention the PM in the films. There are very few references that I can count.

They are never mentioned by name....FYEO is the only film to go overboard and feature a PM (Thatcher). Freddie Gray mentions her having his gut for garters. Various mentions of number 10 in several films (TB, OHMSS etc) and in TSWLM or MR (can't remember which) the PM instructs M to get Bond on the case via telephone

Signed_By_RogerMoore

Also, when Anthony Eden resigned in 1957, him and his wife went to stay with a couple of friends in Jamaica...the Flemings at GoldenEye!

St_George

Feel a nit-picker to point it out, but the list above isn't exactly correct. For the sake of being specific, here's a more exact list... :)

Harold Macmillan (Jan 10 1957 - Oct 18 1963)
Dr. No (*release date: Oct 5 1962)
From Russia With Love (*Oct 11 1963)

Alec Douglas-Home (Oct 18 1963 - Oct 16 1964)
Goldfinger (*Sep 17 1964)

Harold Wilson (Oct 16 1964 - June 19 1970)
Thunderball (*Dec 9 1965)
You Only Live Twice (*Jun 12 1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (*Dec 18 1969)

(Mar 4 1974 - Apr 5 1976)
The Man With The Golden Gun (*Dec 19 1974)

Edward Heath (Jun 19 1970 - Mar 4 1974)
Diamonds are Forever (*Dec 14 1971)
Live and Let Die (*Jun 27 1973)

James Callaghan (Apr 5 1976 - May 4 1979)
The Spy Who Loved Me (*July 7 1977)

Margaret Thatcher (May 4 1979 - Nov 28 1990)
Moonraker (*Jun 26 1979)
For Your Eyes Only (*Jun 24 1981)
Octopussy (*Jun 6 1983)
A View To A Kill (*May 22 1985)
The Living Daylights (*Jun 29 1987)
Licence To Kill (*Jun 13 1989)

John Major (Nov 28 1990 - May 2 1997)
GoldenEye (*Nov 17 1995)

Tony Blair (May 2 1997 - Jun 27 2007)
Tomorrow Never Dies (*Dec 12 1997)
The World Is Not Enough (*Nov 8 1999)
Die Another Day (*Nov 18 2002)
Casino Royale (*Nov 14 2006)

Gordon Brown (June 27 2007 - May 11 2010)
Quantum of Solace (*Oct 29 2008)

Signed_By_RogerMoore

St_George said:
Feel a nit-picker to point it out, but the list above isn't exactly correct. For the sake of being specific, here's a more exact list... :)

Harold Macmillan
(Jan 10 1957 - Oct 18 1963)
Dr. No (*release date: Oct 5 1962)
From Russia With Love (*Oct 11 1963)

Alec Douglas-Home
(Oct 18 1963 - Oct 16 1964)
Goldfinger (*Sep 17 1964)

Harold Wilson
(Oct 16 1964 - June 19 1970)
Thunderball (*Dec 9 1965)
You Only Live Twice (*Jun 12 1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (*Dec 18 1969)

(Mar 4 1974 - Apr 5 1976)
The Man With The Golden Gun (*Dec 19 1974)

Edward Heath
(Jun 19 1970 - Mar 4 1974)
Diamonds are Forever (*Dec 14 1971)
Live and Let Die (*Jun 27 1973)

James Callaghan
(Apr 5 1976 - May 4 1979)
The Spy Who Loved Me (*July 7 1977)

Margaret Thatcher
(May 4 1979 - Nov 28 1990)
Moonraker (*Jun 26 1979)
For Your Eyes Only (*Jun 24 1981)
Octopussy (*Jun 6 1983)
A View To A Kill (*May 22 1985)
The Living Daylights (*Jun 29 1987)
Licence To Kill (*Jun 13 1989)

John Major
(Nov 28 1990 - May 2 1997)
GoldenEye (*Nov 17 1995)

Tony Blair
(May 2 1997 - Jun 27 2007)

Tomorrow Never Dies (*Dec 12 1997)
The World Is Not Enough (*Nov 8 1999)
Die Another Day (*Nov 18 2002)
Casino Royale (*Nov 14 2006)

Gordon Brown
(June 27 2007 - May 11 2010)

Quantum of Solace (*Oct 29 2008)

I Must admit, I was a bit, if you excuse the pun, liberal with the dates and gave the film to the PM who was the PM during filming. I realised TMWTGG and MR...didn't about TND though! Thank you for this, I shall re-edit my original post if that is ok?

Signed_By_RogerMoore

Fixed the original post :)

Imo, I think it comes down to a battle between Wilson and Thatcher...hate to say it because I despise the woman but have to say Thatcher had the best run of films :'(

St_George

Signed_By_RogerMoore said:
I Must admit, I was a bit, if you excuse the pun, liberal with the dates and gave the film to the PM who was the PM during filming.

Ah, well, in that case, your original list was arguably just as correct as mine. :)

As for my own 'PM pick', it'd probably be Wilson's '60s stint,as that one contains both OHMSS and Twice (two Bond flicks I rate highly) and the side's only let down by TB, which isn't too shabby, all told. Otherwise, I'd have to pick Callaghan's era at the end of the red telephone as his period oversaw Spy entirely (which, clearly, is just awesome) and much of the making of MR, which is something of a must with me, for right or wrong... ;)

Getafix

Has to be in order, Wilson, Macmillan, Thatcher, Douglas-Home, Callaghan, Blair (only for CR), Brown and Major.

Signed_By_RogerMoore

Getafix said:
Has to be in order, Wilson, Macmillan, Thatcher, Douglas-Home, Callaghan, Blair (only for CR), Brown and Major.

Interesting order...the top 3 seem to be most consistent. Where would you rate Heath, just out of curiosity?

Jones_The_Bond

A fun thread. It got me pondering over Bondian Prime Ministers. If you had to pick a PM to play Bond you would certainly struggle. Not many of them have shared characteristics with our favourite spy:

"The name's Major. John Major."

"Pay attention 007. We've turned your trademark pipe into a dart-gun. Be careful when you tap it out." (Wilson, obviously)

"Come now, Blair, I know you enjoy working with Felix Leiter, but you ARE actually a British agent!"

"Moody. Scottish. Stay away from Kevin McClory, Mr Brown!"

Harold Macmillan might have made a decent 'M', but the only PM I could consider to be suave enough to play 007 (within the lifetime of the books and films), would probably be Anthony Eden. True, he didn't exactly show 'grace under pressure' when it came to the foremost crisis of his premiership, but even the great Sir Rog is scared of heights, in real life.

I give you:

Anthony Eden as Ian Fleming's 007 in: From Suez With Love.

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