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M's office location

LeiterTheManLeiterTheMan
in General Discussion Posts: 73
This may be a very obvious question and i'm sure this thread can be very quickly wrapped up, but where exactly are M's office, Moneypenny's adjoining office and Q-Branch located? In the older films they do not appear to be in the famous MI6 building on the Thames seen in later films, but we see various shots of a building eg in Octopussy where we see it from the street. Did MI6 relocate at some point and if so when?

Comments

  • LeiterTheManLeiterTheMan
    Posts: 73
    To add to that, I see now that the building seen in earlier films is Universal Exports. Did they relocate to the secure facility (somewhere in the Brosnan era) because the UE cover was no longer good enough?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    For the best response to this question I suggest you post it in this thread meant for all James Bond related questions (which was right on the front page, mind):

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2843/the-james-bond-questions-thread#latest

    There's no reason one question should have its own thread.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    Connery-Dalton was universal exports.

    Beginning with Brosnan and continuing on with Craig, they decided to give it more of a real world context and use the actual MI6 building.

    In TWINE when the London HQ was blown up they briefly moved to a castle in Scotland. When the same thing happened in SF they moved to an underground bunker. In DAD they also have an abandoned tube station for disavowed agents, outdated gadgets, etc.

    The new MI6 we see in Spectre is based near the government buildings Whitehall. We don't really get a good look at which building it is, we just see Bond walking off outside. This doesn't apply to Q's new lab which is situated in an underground bunker somewhere along the thames.

    Hope that clears things up for you.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Does the R. Sterling card in quantum say Universal exports?
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    The MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross, as seen in the Brosnan and Craig films was built in 1994. MI6 didn't officially exist until 1994.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    thelivingroyale wrote: »
    Connery-Dalton was universal exports.

    Beginning with Brosnan and continuing on with Craig, they decided to give it more of a real world context and use the actual MI6 building.

    In TWINE when the London HQ was blown up they briefly moved to a castle in Scotland. When the same thing happened in SF they moved to an underground bunker. In DAD they also have an abandoned tube station for disavowed agents, outdated gadgets, etc.

    The new MI6 we see in Spectre is based near the government buildings Whitehall. We don't really get a good look at which building it is, we just see Bond walking off outside. This doesn't apply to Q's new lab which is situated in an underground bunker somewhere along the thames.

    Hope that clears things up for you.

    It's more to do with the fact that in the real world MI6 became more open - until 1994 they didn't even officially exist.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,805
    @PropertyOfALady will know.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,588
    The current building is the HM Treasury.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,805
    jake24 wrote: »
    The current building is the HM Treasury.

    "I'm the money."/"Every penny of it." ;)
  • LeiterTheManLeiterTheMan
    Posts: 73
    Thank you all for the detailed responses! I can't believe I never noticed the change in location before.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    While the current building is HM Treasury, M was based in The Old War Office Building for Octopussy - Licence to Kill. Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig had the experience of being based at the real SIS Building, except for 2008's Quantum of Solace , and Spectre, where they had moved to the Treasury.

    The minimalist design of that MI6 was actually The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, where 50 Years of Bond Cars began its life. For all of the films up to Octopussy, the building where M is supposed to be based is never seen. Instead, generic shots of London are shown.

    After the bombing of MI6 in Skyfall, MI6 presumably moves to The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), as Bond stands on its roof at the end of the film. Moneypenny is shocked to realise that you can go up there, but in real life, you unfortunately can't. The underground bunker entrance is located at Smithfield Car Park in West Smithfield, EC1.

    You can find the castle headquarters used in TWINE at Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland.

    In the novels, Universal Exports is said to be based in either an 8 or 9 floor (it fluctuates based on which book you read) building overlooking Regent's Park.

    I hope this helps.
  • gt007gt007 Station G
    Posts: 1,182
    Quite detailed information there, @PropertyOfALady. Thanks for sharing.
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    The minimalist design of that MI6 was actually The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, where 50 Years of Bond Cars began its life.
    Which MI6 are you referring to? Was the actual Museum used in any of the films?
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited December 2016 Posts: 3,675
    gt007 wrote: »
    Quite detailed information there, @PropertyOfALady. Thanks for sharing.
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    The minimalist design of that MI6 was actually The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, where 50 Years of Bond Cars began its life.
    Which MI6 are you referring to? Was the actual Museum used in any of the films?

    Sorry. I got The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu confused for The Barbican Centre where Designing 007 started. That's what I meant to say. Check your facts, me!

    Anyway, yes, it was used in the film. You know the scene where M and Tanner walk through a courtyard in QoS after Bond has murdered Slate?

    M says "Damn him. He killed him." That's the museum there. That kind of circular glass building that surrounds them. I'm sure the interiors were shot at Pinewood though.

    QOS+003.JPG
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,588
    Technically, they were still at Vauxhall in CR. I never made sense of how they were able to completely relocate in the span of a couple of weeks at most.
  • gt007gt007 Station G
    Posts: 1,182
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    gt007 wrote: »
    Quite detailed information there, @PropertyOfALady. Thanks for sharing.
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    The minimalist design of that MI6 was actually The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, where 50 Years of Bond Cars began its life.
    Which MI6 are you referring to? Was the actual Museum used in any of the films?

    Sorry. I got The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu confused for The Barbican Centre where Designing 007 started. That's what I meant to say. Check your facts, me!

    Anyway, yes, it was used in the film. You know the scene where M and Tanner walk through a courtyard in QoS after Bond has murdered Slate?

    M says "Damn him. He killed him." That's the museum there. That kind of circular glass building that surrounds them. I'm sure the interiors were shot at Pinewood though.

    QOS+003.JPG
    Ah, yes, The Barbican. Now it makes more sense. Having visited the museum in Beaulieu, I was just scratching my head to remember which film it was featured in.
    jake24 wrote: »
    Technically, they were still at Vauxhall in CR. I never made sense of how they were able to completely relocate in the span of a couple of weeks at most.
    Yes, I don't believe anyone ever made sense of that. It must have been one of Forster's artistic/visual decisions to have the all-white minimalistic offices, but I can't understand how it got past Babs and MGW, especially with QOS being so heavily advertised by them as a direct continuation of CR. Thank heavens they got rid of it in SF.
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