Talk:James Bond

This discussion is now at Talk:James Bond (literary character)#His drinking.

The article links to a Lincoln Continental Mark II (but labels it "Mark II Continental Bentley", for some reason), listed as Bond's car after he crashes his Bentley 4.5litre, but in Moonraker it states he bought a "1953 Mark VI". It doesn't specifically state the marque, but implies it is a Bentley, comparing it with the crashed car, plus earlier Bond is considering buying a Bentley, and the Bentley Mark VI was available in a lightened, higher-powered version that was the first of the Bentley Continentals. The Lincoln Continental Mark II was a 1956/57 car and not to my knowledge sold in the UK. This should be changed to point to the Bentley 86.18.140.0 (talk) 21:50, 5 July 2025 (UTC)

The redirect Bond Extreme has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 August 12 § Bond Extreme until a consensus is reached. Mdewman6 (talk) 20:46, 12 August 2025 (UTC)

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Please change the 404 URL https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/25870/james-bond-to-return-to-radio-as-goldfinger to correct live URL https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/james-bond-to-return-to-radio-as-goldfinger-is-adapted-for-bbc StageSimon (talk) 08:43, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

 Done jolielover♥talk 11:27, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

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Proposed Change: I would like to propose adding information regarding Bronisław Urbański as a physical and operational model for James Bond. This is based on historical research following the 2020 IPN (Polish Institute of National Remembrance) revelations and family archives.

Suggested Text for the "Inspirations" section:

Recent historical research linked to the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) identifies Bronisław Urbański (1912–1984), known as the "White Ghost," as a central operational and physical model for Bond. Introduced to Ian Fleming by Krystyna Skarbek (Christine Granville) in 1951, Urbański’s background as an elite "Liquidator" for Polish Unit 99/3 provided the basis for Bond's "blunt instrument" characterization. Skarbek reportedly provided Fleming with details from Urbański’s 1949 passport, which align with physical identifiers in Fleming’s own definitive sketch of the character.

"Beyond operational history, historical research indicates that Bronisław Urbański served as the primary physical blueprint for James Bond. In 1951, Krystyna Skarbek (Christine Granville) reportedly provided Ian Fleming with Urbański’s 1949 passport details, which included specific physical identifiers and scars sustained during his time in Stalag VB. This material is credited as the basis for Fleming’s only definitive sketch of Bond, which mirrors Urbański’s likeness and serves as the visual foundation for the character’s 'blunt instrument' persona."

Reason for change: To provide a more comprehensive view of the real-world inspirations for the character, specifically the Polish intelligence contribution which has gained historical weight following recent declassifications. Pjurby (talk) 21:00, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. Day Creature (talk) 21:30, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

"Thank you for the response, Day Creature. I am requesting that the 'Creation and inspiration' section of the James Bond page be updated to include Bronisław Urbański (the 'White Ghost'), based on recent historical scholarship that identifies him as a primary physical and operational model for Bond.

The following reliable, independent secondary sources (published in 2024) provide the necessary verification:

Professor Norman Davies, Plus Ultra (2024, Polish Edition). Davies, a preeminent historian, includes the thesis of Urbański’s role as the inspiration for Bond.

Barnard, G. & Wroblewski, C., Sabotage! (Grub Street Publications, 2024). This investigation by a WW2 air crash investigator and a historian validates Urbański's wartime activities (Unit 99/3) and his link to the character.

Professor Peter Zablocki, The Death of General Sikorski (2024). This academic work aligns historical findings with Urbański’s evidence.

These sources establish that Urbański is no longer a 'suggested' inspiration but one recognized by contemporary academic and investigative literature. I propose adding a brief mention of his connection to Fleming via Krystyna Skarbek, as now documented in these texts." Pjurby (talk) 21:56, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Correction Norman Davies did not identify him as the primary physical model for James Bond but rather the assassin for the death or mysterious death of Polish wartime leader General Wladyslaw Sikorski 1943.

However it was from this that SOE Christine Granville aka Maria 'Krystyna' Skarbek 1908 explained to foreign editor of the Kemsley Newspapers Ian Fleming that he assassinated his own PM by sabotage externally to his plane, flight AL523. The Polish IPN are already investigating this in Australia and reopened the case once again. Pjurby (talk) 21:58, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Since you now have 10 edits, your account has become autoconfirmed and you can edit the article yourself. Be sure to properly cite your sources for anything you add; see Help:Referencing for beginners. Day Creature (talk) 22:47, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Proposed change: == Request to Include Bronisław Urbański (Unit 993/W) as Physical Inspiration ==

I am adding/reinstating information regarding Bronisław Urbański as a primary physical and operational model for James Bond.

The previous removal cited Hoagy Carmichael; however, Carmichael was a *literary comparison* used within the narrative. The inclusion of Urbański is based on newly available historical and forensic data:

• **Forensic Evidence:** BBC-funded biometric analysis has established a 1-in-a-trillion probability match between Urbański’s 1949 physical identifiers (from Australian immigration records) and the 10-point physical profile Fleming provided to the media and in his personal notes.
• **Historical Chain of Custody:** It is documented that Krystyna Skarbek (Christine Granville), a known associate and lover of Urbański, provided his passport details and 1950 photograph to Ian Fleming in 1951, prior to the publication of Casino Royale.
• **Operational Accuracy:** Urbański’s role in **Unit 993/W** as a "Liquidator" (assassin) provides the direct historical context for Bond's "00" status, which literary models like Carmichael do not.
• **Sources:** This is supported by the 2020 IPN (Institute of National Remembrance) declassified files and the research presented in Living with James Bond (2024).

I request that this remains as a valid historical counterpoint to the fictionalized inspirations. Pjurby (talk) 08:20, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

• Please obtain a consensus for adding the photo. Many people have served as an inspiration for James Bond, but Fleming described him as looking like Hoagy Carmichael. That is the only likeness that truly matters, for an article about James Bond. That is why we have a photograph of Hoagy Carmichael. The information you are adding (along with the photo) would be more suited to Inspirations for James Bond. Furthermore, the placing of the photo is aesthetically poor, pushing down the photo below it. Betty Logan (talk) 11:47, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I recently expanded the "Skills" section, and it was reverted with the note that IMDb/YouTube are not reliable per WP:RS/IMDB and WP:NOYT.

I added a revised version that expands the section from 3 to 10 bullets using only page-numbered book citations already used in the article/bibliography (for example: Lycett 1996 p.240; Macintyre 2008 p.147; Benson 1988 p.265; Cork & Stutz 2007 pp.200–201, p.221).

~~~~ Neal Mueller (talk) 19:57, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Betty, While YouTube and IMDb are not reliable sources, the citations also include page-numbered references to books. I left the film links as background context. If preferred, one could remove those links while keeping the rest of the new text. Neal Mueller (talk) 19:12, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

All I saw was links to websites that are not regarded as reliable sources (namely Youtube and IMDb), and a load of citation errors: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Bond&oldid=1341540127#References. If you are suggesting that the existing book references also corroborate the extra skills I am not able to verify that, but if it were true then I question (@SchroCat:) why the information was omitted in the first place. Betty Logan (talk) 09:17, 7 March 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the ping. I've removed the 'skills' list entirely. As the hatnote says, the article is about the spy series in general, not about the character himself. We have enough background on him to provide the context for the rest, but this is the general overview of the Bond world, not an examination of the character - there are other pages for that. As to having a bullet point list... urgh. It's sloppy and lazy and something we should be avoiding in good prose, which this article was at one stage. - SchroCat (talk) 09:45, 7 March 2026 (UTC)