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COLLECTING 007 – UK Film Magazines
WRITTEN & COMPILED BY KEVIN HARPER & GRAHAM RYE

In addition to the widely-available general interest film magazines, there were a number of specialist publications that focussed on the more technical aspects of the industry; and contained more in-depth, and often far more critical appraisals of the James Bond films. From the early 1970s the 007 series was also regularly featured in children's television programmes such as Screen Test (BBC-TV 1970-84) and Clapperboard (Granada Television for the ITV network 1972-82), which promoted the films to a more junior audience. The Diamonds Are Forever Moon Buggy was featured on Screen Test in April 1972, and Desmond Llewelyn showed off some of Q's gadgets seen in the James Bond films a month later. As the James Bond films began to be shown on UK television for the first time in the mid-1970s, popular children's magazine Look-in alerted younger viewers to their screening (in addition to featuring the Roger Moore films upon their original cinema release), although they were originally broadcast in an adult timeslot, and frequently on a school night!

First published in 1950, the ABC Film Review (later Film Review) was the longest-running of all UK film magazines, eventually ceasing publication in a printed format in December 2008. Although the Sixties James Bond films were not originally booked into cinemas on the ABC distribution circuit, some smaller towns did play them in second-run ABC cinemas where no Rank operated theatre existed.

The ABC Film Review had its first James Bond related cover with the July 1965 issue, which featured a preview of Thunderball then filming in The Bahamas. In May 1972 (Diamonds Are Forever featured inside) the letters ‘ABC’ were dropped from the cover and the magazine then became available to buy in all cinemas across the UK.

Although the James Bond films were usually featured in the month of their original West End debut, Film Review would often publish articles as they later went into a wider general release across the country. Other features would specifically mention the James Bond series and include photographs when promoting other films at the height of the spy craze in the mid-1960s. Casino Royale (2006) was the last James Bond film feature on the cover of Film Review. Unusually, neither A View To A Kill (1985) nor The Living Daylights (1987) were afforded this honour. A behind-the-scenes preview of Quantum of Solace (2008) appeared in issue #701 (December 2008), which was the last printed issue before the magazine became an online presence in 2009. Daniel Craig was later featured on the cover of the Film Review Year Book 2009 [not pictured], which also included interviews with the stars of Quantum of Solace (2008).

FILM REVIEW December 1964 ABC FILM REVIEW July 1965

ABC FILM REVIEW February 1966

December 1964
Surely Mr. Bond it's easier my way?
Shirley Eaton feature
July 1965
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3  Spread 4
February 1966
BREAKTHROUGH Robert Shaw
ABC FILM REVIEW April 1966 FILM REVIEW December 1971 FILM REVIEW February 1972
April 1966
WHERE THE SPIES ARE there the girls are
December 1971
Diamonds Are Forever
(in What Have They In Common?)
February 1972
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3

FILM REVIEW May 1972

FILM REVIEW July 1973

FILM REVIEW August 1973

May 1972
Contents  ‘Cubby’ Broccoli on violence
Diamonds Are Forever picture spread
July 1973
Talking to Jane Seymour
Looking at the BOND GIRLS
August 1973
Contents  Spread 1  Spread 2
FILM REVIEW September 1973 FILM REVIEW December 1974 FILM REVIEW February 1975
September 1973
Contents  Bond in Action

Live And Let Die soundtrack review
December 1974
Schoolgirls - plus Roger - rout
Kung Fu attackers

NICK NACK'S THE NAME
February 1975
The Man With The Golden Gun preview

PHOTOPLAY July 1977

FILM REVIEW August 1977

FILM REVIEW September 1977

July 1977
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
August 1977
Spread 1  Spread 2
September 1977
Barbara Bach & Valerie Leon pin-up
SEIKO Watches competition

FILM REVIEW July 1979

FILM REVIEW September 1979

FILM REVIEW June 1981

July 1979
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
September 1979
Irka Bochenko portrait 
007 17 YEARS ON
June 1981
For Your Eyes Only preview
 Bond Girls pin-up
FILM REVIEW July 1981 FILM REVIEW August 1981

Film Review ad with Octopussy typo

July 1981
For Your Eyes Only two-page preview
ODEON premiere announcement
August 1981
Contents  John Glen interview
Film Review advert with Octopussy typo
[ROLLOVER] June 1983 issue
MAUD ADAMS RENEWS BOND
WITH ROGER MOORE

FILM REVIEW July 1983

FILM REVIEW August 1983

FILM REVIEW July 1984

July 1983
Octopussy preview
ODEON Poster
August 1983
ROGER MOORE UNDER FIRE
Tina Robinson pin-up
January 1984
Spread 1  Spread 2

FILM REVIEW February 1985

FILM REVIEW June 1985

FILM REVIEW July 1985

February 1985
Tanya Roberts interview  Pin-up
June 1985
Barbara Carrera interview
A View To A Kill preview
July 1985
A View To A Kill ODEON Poster

BOND - THE SAME FAULT AS SUPERMAN

FILM REVIEW June 1987

FILM REVIEW June 1989 FILM REVIEW  December 1995
June 1987
Timothy Dalton interview & pin up
June 1989
Competition  Licence To Kill preview
December 1995
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3  Spread 4

1997 FILM REVIEW SPECIAL #21

FILM REVIEW December 1999
1997 FILM REVIEW SPECIAL #21 January 1998
Tomorrow Never Dies preview
December 1999
Contents  Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
Competition  Letters page
FILM REVIEW November 2002 FILM REVIEW December 2008

2007 FILM REVIEW SPECIAL #65

November 2002
Die Another Day preview
December 2006
Casino Royale preview
007 Countdown Every Bond movie rated!
2007 FILM REVIEW SPECIAL #65
 

&

A 25 year-old Sean Connery poses as a model for VINCE Leisure Wear in an advertisement that appeared in the April 1956 issue of films and filming.

films and filming, first published in the UK in October 1954, was a highly regarded magazine that frequently avoided the usual box office hits in favour of cult and art-house films, and in particular those titles with gay-themed interest. Whereas most film magazines of the period were essentially published to promote new films and their stars, films and filming was a serious look at cinema as an art form, and over the years contained lengthy reviews of new releases, listing not only the main actors and their characters, but key technical personnel including directors, producers and cinematographers etc. Besides critically reviewing new releases, films and filming also carried in-depth articles about all aspects of cinema, including foreign and independent films. It became a must-read for any serious student of the cinema. Consequently, as the James Bond films were essentially considered as mainstream mass entertainment, they only made it onto the cover of the respected publication on just four occasions. Two of those were for films in the EON Productions series; and two with full colour covers devoted to Casino Royale (1967) and Sean Connery's comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983).

By the mid-1970s films and filming had begun to include more mainstream content; although retaining its focus on more controversial films to appeal to its niche readership. The coverage of exploitation titles took advantage of the relaxation in censorship restrictions of the time.

films and filming ceased publication in 1980 following the suicide of editor Philip Dosse, whose publishing company Hansom Books became the stable for arts magazines with six other monthly titles: dance and dancers; plays and players; music and musicians; records and recording; art and artists, and what became their flagship title, books and bookmen. films and filming was resurrected in 1981 to appeal to a wider audience, and ran until 1990 when the publication was merged with the more mainstream Film Review. Robin Bean, who joined films and filming in 1961, and edited it from 1968 to 1980, attracted notoriety with his provocative cover images and sexually explicit picture spreads. He later launched a monthly films and filming clone simply titled films [on screen and video], which ran until 1985 (when it was incorporated with films and filming), and finally Movie Scene which ran from 1985-86. Robin Bean died in 1992 aged 53.

FILMS AND FILMING November 1963

FILMS AND FILMING December 1963

FILMS AND FILMING October 1964

November 1962
Dr. No review
December 1963
From Russia With Love review
October 1964
F&F Filmguide  Goldfinger photo spread
Premiere advertisement

FILMS AND FILMING November 1964

FILMS AND FILMING October 1965

FILMS AND FILMING March 1966

November 1964
Goldfinger review
October 1965
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3  Spread 4
March 1966
Thunderball review
Films and Filming May 1967 Films and Filming July 1967 Films and Filming November 1968
May 1967
Casino Royale picture preview
July 1967
You Only Live Twice photo spread
ODEON Leicester Square poster
November 1968
The New James Bond

Films and Filming September 1969

Films and Filming February 1970

FILMS AND FILMING January 1972

September 1969
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
photo spread

Harry Saltzman Spread 1  Spread 2
February 1970
On Her Majesty's Secret Service review
January 1972
Diamonds Are Forever photo spread
ODEON Leicester Square release poster

FILMS AND FILMING March 1972

FILMS AND FILMING July 1973

FILMS AND FILMING September 1973

March 1972
Diamonds Are Forever review
July 1973
Guy Hamilton interview
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
Live And Let Die photo spread
September 1973
Live And Let Die review
FILMS AND FILMING December 1974 FILMS AND FILMING March 1975

FILMS AND FILMING September 1977

December 1974
Contents
The Man With The Golden Gun photo spread
March 1975
The Man With The Golden Gun review
September 1977
The Spy Who Loved Me review

FILMS AND FILMING February 1980

FILMS June 1981

FILMS AND FILMING September 1981

February 1980
Moonraker review
films June 1981
For Your Eyes Only Spread 1  Spread 2
September 1981
For Your Eyes Only review

FILMS June 1983

FILMS AND FILMING August 1983 FILMS November 1983
films June 1983
Spread 1  Spread 2 
Octopussy ODEON poster
August 1983
Octopussy review
[incomplete]
films November 1983
Spread 1  Spread 2

FILMS AND FILMING December 1983

FILMS January 1984

FILMS June 1985

December 1983
Never Say Never Again review
films January 1984
Never Say Never Again release poster
films June 1985
A View To A Kill picture preview
Review
FILMS AND FILMING July 1987

FILMS AND FILMING Reviews 007 July 1987

July 1987
The Living Daylights release poster
Contents  Spread 1  Spread 2  Competition

July 1987
films and filming reviews 007
Longer and more in-depth reviews appear in the individual issues pictured above

 

The magazine FILM artiste was published quarterly from 1963-68 by the Film Artistes’ Association, affiliated with the Trades Union Congress and the Federation of Film Unions. As such it was not a standard general interest film magazine that would appeal to ordinary cinemagoers. The objective of the magazine was to publicise the British Film Industry, and reported on films then in production and on release. Several issues featured brief reportage and photographs from four James Bond films: From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967). FILM artiste often published unusual images not seen in any other magazine; such as the still of James Bond (Sean Connery) garrotting Donald ‘Red’ Grant (Robert Shaw) in the From Russia With Love (1963) preview, and two behind-the-scenes photos of Sean Connery from You Only Live Twice (1967) used in Vol 3 No.2.

The first issue set out the magazine's mission statement, and featured a page of congratulatory messages from British artistes including future James Bond star Roger Moore. FILM artiste was also a guide to the productions then filming at the seven significant studios in England. Volume 3 No. 3, published in the first quarter of 1967, featured a brief editorial on the financial and logistical difficulties that faced the production of Casino Royale (1967) under the title “Will ‘Casino Royale’ Ruin Columbia?” FILM artiste was one of the few publications to openly comment on the troubled production and its over-expenditure; but ended by saying “The avant-garde critics will have a bash, as usual, but Producers Feldman and Bresler will be laughing all the way to the bank.”... and they did!

FILM Artiste Vol 1 No.1 1963

FILM Artiste Vol 1 No.1 1963 editorial

Vol 1 No.1 1963
Spread 1  Spread 2

Editorial page with the rationale behind the publication of FILM artiste
including a congratulatory message from Roger Moore

FILM artiste Vol 1 No.3 1964

FILM artiste Vol 2 No.3 1965

FILM artiste Vol 3 No.2 1967

Vol 1 No.3 1964 Vol 2 No.3 1965
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
Vol 3 No.2 1967
You Only Live Twice (1967) stills
 

AMATEUR CINE WORLD

Amateur Cine World was a British specialist magazine launched in 1934, and issued weekly by Fountain Press before ceasing publication in 1967.

Amaterur Cine World 13 January 1966

Amaterur Cine World 13 January 1966 Thunderball review

The periodical featured a wide variety of articles, including practical guides, technical advice, film reviews, and interviews with prominent figures in the amateur cinema world. Each issue delved into topics such as cinematography techniques, editing, scriptwriting, and equipment reviews, catering to both beginners and experienced filmmakers.

The January 13, 1966 issue of Amateur Cine World featured a lengthy review of Thunderball (1965) by film critic David Castell, who would later become editor of Films Illustrated.

 

The James Bond films would occasionally feature in specialist magazines showcasing the work of of an individual rather than promoting a forthcoming film, although these were usually published as a new 007 adventure was then in UK cinemas.

PHOTOGRAPHY DECEMBER 1971

Sean Connery photographed by Terry O'Neill on the set of Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Celebrated British photographer Terry O'Neill (1938-2019) was on set during the shooting of many James Bond films beginning with Goldfinger in 1964. He shot iconic stills of five James Bond actors, and captured images of many of the stars during the making of Casino Royale (1967).

The December 1971 issue of UK specialist magazine Photography profiled Terry O'Neill, and featured some of his behind-the-scenes photographs from Diamonds Are Forever (1971), informing readers of the type of camera and lenses he used.

TERRY O'NEILL SHOOTS JAMES BOND Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
 

Films Illustrated was published monthly from 1971-1982 and frequently offered more in-depth articles and lengthier reviews than most popular general interest film magazines.

One of the regular contributing writers to Films Illustrated was Andrew Rissik (1955- ), whose boyhood enthusiasm for the early James Bond films led to two other pieces of work inspired by the genre - a 1983 book The James Bond Man: The Films of Sean Connery; and a five-part BBC4 radio thriller, The Psychedelic Spy (1990) which was set in 1968, and starred several names from cult TV and films of the period including Gerald Harper, Joanna Lumley, Charles Gray and Ed Bishop.

FILMS ILLUSTRATED August 1973

FILMS ILLUSTRATED October 1974

FILMS ILLUSTRATED January 1975

August 1973
Live And Let Die review
Live And Let Die soundtrack review
October 1974
MOORE THE MERRIER
January 1975
The Man With The Golden Gun feature

FILMS ILLUSTRATED July 1977

FILMS ILLUSTRATED August 1977

FILMS ILLUSTRATED August 1979

July 1977
Bond Meets Jaws
A report from Pinewood Studios
August 1977
The Spy Who Loved Me review
August 1979
Moonraker review

Films Illustrated October 1979

Films Illustrated July 1981 Films Illustrated August 1981
October 1979
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JAMES BOND?
Andrew Rissik tackles 007s
most difficult case
July 1981
For Your Eyes Only preview
August 1981
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
 

Continental Film Review was first published in November 1952, and a way for British readers to keep up with the latest developments in European cinema. As censorship rules relaxed, the magazine presented more and more nudity, and the publication became a go-to for many enthusiasts, but for all the wrong reasons!

Continental Film Review November 1966

The title was changed to Continental Film and Video Review in the early 1980s to reflect the changing way audiences were now viewing films. More mainstream and non-Continental titles were also featured particularly if they included nudity, or adult themed content. The first James Bond-related content appeared in November 1966 issue, with a cover that appeared to relate to a new 007 film. In reality this was just one of the several James Bond inspired rip-offs that appeared on the Continent at the height of ‘Bondmania’. 00 Sex On The Wolfgangsee (also known as Happy End am Wolfgangsee) was a 1966 Austrian comedy-musical spoof on the Bond films directed by Franz Antel (1913-2007). The film was promoted in the magazine with a double-page spread featuring three bikini-clad actresses posing with German-born former Olympic and European champion ice skater, turned singer and actor, Hans-Jürgen Bäumler as Mike.

Customers seeing the November 1966 issue of Continental Film Review in a London newsagents could be forgiven for thinking this was a new James Bond film, as it is exactly the way the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale (and many other mid-Sixties spy films) was publicized on the cover of more mainstream film magazines six months later!

November 1966  

Continental Film Review July 1977

Continental Film and Video Review June 1981

Continental Film and Video Review February 1984

July 1977
Spread 1  Spread 2
June 1981
Spread 1  Spread 2
February/March 1984
Kim Basinger portrait

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) were the only James Bond films to actually feature significantly in the publication. The provocative image of seven bikini-clad Bond Girls (without Roger Moore) on the cover the June 1981 issue featured Tula Cossey [standing centre above], who was exposed as transgender by British tabloid News of the World following her appearance in the film. Consequently, the brief four-page coverage of For Your Eyes Only was also more focussed on the scantily-clad poolside Bond girls than the film itself. Barbara Carrera featured on the cover of the February/March 1984 issue, with a colour portrait of Kim Basinger from Never Say Never Again (1983) on the first page. Continental Film Review ceased publication later in 1984.

 

Launched in Spring 1932, Sight and Sound was published quarterly for most of its history until the early 1990s, apart from a brief run as a monthly magazine in the early 1950s. In 1991 it merged with another British Film Institute publication, Monthly Film Bulletin, and has been issued monthly ever since. In 1952 the Sight and Sound team had the novel idea of asking critics to name what they believed were the best films ever made. Sight and Sound has conducted poll every decade since, asking an international group of film professionals to vote for the ten films they considered the greatest of all time. Until 1992 the votes of the invited critics and directors were compiled to make one list. However, since 1992 directors have been invited to participate in a separate poll.

SIGHT and SOUND Autumn 1962

SIGHT and SOUND Winter 1963/64 SIGHT and SOUND Summer 1964
Autumn 1962
Dr. No review
Winter 1963/64
Whose Crisis?
The state of the British film industry
Spread 1  Spread 2
Summer 1964
Goldfinger preview

SIGHT and SOUND Winter 1964/65

SIGHT and SOUND December 1995 SIGHT and SOUND November 2002
Winter 1964/65
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
Spread 4  Spread 5
December 1995
Spread 1  Spread 2
November 2002
BOND FOR BEGINNERS
An interview with Lee Tamahori

Sight and Sound reviews all new releases, including those with a limited (art house) release, as opposed to most film magazines which usually concentrate on those big-budget titles with a general release, and therefore aimed at a more mainstream audience. Consequently, Sight and Sound's coverage of the James Bond films was sporadic and they never made the cover of the well-respected publication until November 2002. The first mention of James Bond was in editor Penelope Houston's (1927-2015) perfunctory review of Dr. No (1962) in the Autumn 1962 issue. There was no significant coverage of From Russia With Love in 1963, but Goldfinger fared better with a two-page picture spread in the Summer 1964 edition; and a second in-depth three-page overview of the 007 oeuvre. This was followed by an interview with Production Designer Ken Adam in the Winter 1964/65 issue, showcasing his work on the Bond films. Goldfinger was awarded a three-star rating in the Autumn 1964 issue, although Sight and Sound were less impressed but Thunderball [Spring 1966], awarding only one star and noting that “... the formula begins to pall a little...”. The rest of the series was similarly dismissed, with less-than-kind comments regarding Casino Royale [Summer 1967] and You Only Live Twice [Autumn 1967]. George Lazenby's one-off outing as 007 in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) was not reviewed, but Sight and Sound's surprising two-star rating of Sean Connery's return in Diamonds Are Forever [Spring 1972] regarded it as the best film since Goldfinger. Roger Moore's debut in Live And Let Die [Autumn 1973] was criticized for lacking any style, with The Man With The Golden Gun [Spring 1975], The Spy Who Loved Me [Autumn 1977] and Moonraker [Autumn 1979] all similarly berated.

The Winter 1979/80 issue carried an advertisement featuring the January 1980 season of James Bond films at the National Film Theatre - the first time any of the series had screened at the British Film Institute's prestigious South Bank venue. The front cover of the January 1980 BFI members’ booklet featured the original unaltered version of Renato Fratini's illustration of Sean Connery, that had only ever been used on a newspaper advertisement for the 1969 double-bill of You Only Live Twice/From Russia With Love when the pair played at the New Victoria cinema in London. Unusually, given the Bond films had now been elevated in status by playing at the National Film Theatre, Sight and Sound did not review For Your Eyes Only (1981) or Octopussy (1983) when they were released, but did praise Sean Connery's comeback in Never Say Never Again (1983) in the Winter 1983/84 issue, although they did not now apply star ratings to new films. A View To A Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence To Kill (1989) were not reviewed in Sight and Sound.

SIGHT and SOUND Winter 1979/80

National Film Theatre January 1980 programme

NFT Booklet January 1980

Winter 1979/80 National Film Theatre
January 1980 programme
January 1980
Spread 1  Spread 2

It would not be until the release of GoldenEye in 1995 that Sight and Sound again devoted significant coverage to the James Bond films, with an in-depth look at the work of main title designers Maurice Binder (1918-1991) and Daniel Kleinman. The November 2002 issue celebrated the 40th Anniversary of James Bond in the cinema with a look at Die Another Day starring Pierce Brosnan, in what turned out to be his final outing as 007.

 

Launched in Autumn 1985, to help offset the then-decline in audience attendance in the UK, Flicks began life as quarterly newspaper-style publication distributed free of charge in cinema foyers, although could also later be purchased via an annual subscription.

FLICKS June/July 1987

June/July 1987
Back page

The June/July 1987 16-page edition of Flicks (subtitled The National Newspaper for Moviegoers) promoted the release of The Living Daylights, and the 25th Anniversary of James Bond in the cinema. With a print run of a million copies there was enough demand for the magazine to be published monthly, and from October 1988 Flicks then became a glossy colour magazine that previewed new releases, featured on set-reports and interviews, offering cinemagoers behind-the-scenes news and gossip. The print run was reduced to 750,000 copies due to more expensive paper costs.

Although it was frequently discarded by cinemagoers, Flicks was the must-have freebie picked up when you purchased popcorn and drinks at the local multiplex. Published at a time when UK cinema attendance was in decline, funding for Flicks came from film distributors and exhibitors, and consequently focussed on promotion rather than featuring more critical reviews such as those offered in popular high profile newstrade titles like Empire and Total Film. With the rise of the Internet at the start of the new century, easier access to film news made many generic film magazines redundant. The December 1999 issue of Flicks – The Bigger Picture was a 92-page glossy edition with a cover price of £1.50, however, cinemagoers were reluctant to pay for something they previously could pick up free of charge, and unsurprisingly the magazine ceased publication in October 2000.

.

Flicks June 1989

FLICKS November 1995 FLICKS November 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies special previews
June 1989
Licence To Kill preview
November 1995
Contents  Derek Meddings tribute
Bond is the Word
November 1997
Tomorrow Never Dies special previews

FLICKS December 1997

FLICKS December 1999

FLICKS December 1999 Fujitsu Siemens poster

December 1997
Spread 1  Spread 2  Premiere poster
David Arnold CD review  007 Merchandise
VHS Videos  Britannia Video offer
December 1999
Contents  Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
 
The World Is Not Enough poster
ROUGH CUTS: Amusing Bond Girl Names  COMPETITION: Be Bond For A Day
Pierce Brosnan interview  Robert Carlyle interview  Denise Richards interview
Desmond Llewelyn interview  Merchandise  CD Reviews  REWIND 1962
Flicks December 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies

In December 1997 Flicks teamed up with The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and ODEON cinemas to produce a promotional edition of the magazine, advertised as the essential guide to Tomorrow Never Dies. The 36-page edition provided the reader with everything they needed to know about 007's latest outing, including background information on the making of the film, the plot, the gadgets, the cars, the girls, the villains, and the music. The James Bond back catalogue is also reviewed and rated, with a chance to win all the films on video.

To promote Pierce Brosnan's penultimate appearance as James Bond in The World Is Not Enough (1999), Flicks devoted much of its content to the new film including interviews with Pierce Brosnan, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, and Desmond Llewelyn (in his final appearance as Q). The December 1999 issue of Flicks also included James Bond related competitions, features, reviews and advertisements.
 

Please note any addresses, telephone numbers or website URLs contained within the pages of Flicks will no longer be valid.

 

Look-in was a children's magazine which originally featured interviews, crosswords and competitions, and had pin-ups of TV stars and pop idols of the time. However, its main feature was comic strips of popular children’s television programmes, all of which were being shown on the ITV network at the time. Subtitled ‘The Junior TVTimes’, Look-in originally ran from January 9, 1971 to December 28, 1991.

Look-in Week ending 5 August 1972

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) was briefly mentioned in the issue of Look-in for the week ending 19 February 1972, when the film opened across the UK, and accompanied by a somewhat violent image! Sean Connery's comeback was then promoted in the ‘Junior Cinema’ section of Look-in for the week ending 5 August 1972 as the film was remarkably still on general release eight months after its London debut. It is interesting to note that Diamonds Are Forever was being promoted in the children's magazine when there had been some initial controversy over the violent content of some of its scenes. Diamonds Are Forever was released on December 30, 1971 with an ‘A’ certificate; and although is played slightly more tongue-in-cheek than earlier Bond films, British Board of Film Censors examiner Stephen Murphy did have pause for thought and said in his notes: “I have no doubt that if we give this film an ‘AA’ [limiting entry to those below 14 years of age] we will be criticised because every child in the United Kingdom will see clips on television”. The case notes go on to say: “I am worried by the incidents of violence in the film, which although nowhere near the intensity of some films, are still vulnerable to public criticism and possibly even to imitation”.

The James Bond films starring Roger Moore were also promoted upon their original UK release from 1973-1981, and all featured on the cover of Look-in, so now directly marketed to a younger audience.

Week ending 5 August 1972
Connery is Forever!

Look-in also promoted the premiere broadcast of two James Bond films on television as part of the cover artwork, starting with the first screenings of Dr. No in October 1975, and Diamonds Are Forever on Christmas Day 1978. Look-in featured several 007 related covers painted by renowned Italian film poster artist Arnaldo Putzu (1927-2012). The painted cover fell out of fashion and the publication then featured a photographic cover from late 1981. IPC Magazines then took over the publishing of Look-in from January 4, 1992 – March 12, 1994, by which time its content and covers were generally focussed around current pop sensations; with features on sport, youth culture and advertisements focussing on the popular toy trends of the day.

Look-in Week ending 8 February 1975

Look-in Week ending 1 February 1975

Look-in Week ending 8 February 1975

Week ending 4 November 1972
Spread 1  Spread 2
Week ending 1 February 1975
James Bond colour preview
Week ending 8 February 1975
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3

Look-in Week ending 25 October 1975

Look-in Week ending 9 July 1977

Look-in Week ending 23 December 1978

Week ending 25 October 1975
Bond on the Box Dr. No ITV premiere
Week ending 9 July 1977
Spread 1  Spread 2
Week ending 23 December 1978
Diamonds Are Forever ITV premiere

Look-in Week ending 30 June 1979

Look-in Week ending 27 June 1981

In addition to the ITV television premieres of Dr. No and Diamonds Are Forever which featured on the cover of Look-in, seven other films were highlighted in programme listings, or had full-page features:

Week ending 1 May 1976
From Russia With Love
(1963)
ITV premiere 2 May 1976
Week ending 19 November 1977
You Only Live Twice
(1967)
ITV premiere 20 November 1977
Week ending 2 September 1978
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
(1969)
ITV premiere 4 September 1978
Week ending 20 January 1980
Live And Let Die
(1973)
ITV premiere 20 January 1980
Week ending 27 December 1980
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
ITV premiere 25 December 1980
Week ending 27 March 1982
The Spy Who Loved Me
(1977)
ITV premiere 28 March 1982
Week ending 25 December 1982
Moonraker
(1979)
ITV premiere 27 December 1982

Week ending 30 June 1979
Spread 1  Colour pin-up
Week ending 27 June 1981
Spread 1  Spread 2  Spread 3
 
Follyfoot Desmond Llewelyn as The Colonel

ABOVE: BOND CONNECTIONS - One of the comic strips presented in Look-in was based on the popular ITV children's series Follyfoot (1971-73) which starred Desmond Llewelyn as The Colonel - owner of Follyfoot Farm. Desmond Llewelyn appeared in all 39 episodes of the three series, and it was his commitment to Follyfoot that prevented him from reprising his role as Q for the seventh time in Live And Let Die (1973). Two episodes of Follyfoot were directed by Michael Apted, who would be reunited with Desmond Llewelyn for his final appearance as Q in The World Is Not Enough (1999).


FACT FILES INDEX

US Magazines from the height of ‘Bondmania’

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