Desmond deserved more than that. Not just because he was Q, not just because he was in the series from From Russia With Love to The World Is Not Enough over a length of time and no of films that will likely not be broken, not just because of some of the other things he did such as Follyfoot, but because he was a great human being
Desmond was such a distinguished actor I was on a train travelling through Austria in the 90’s and he was sat in the seat in front of me roaring with laughter talking to a young lady next to him. I lost my nerve and never spoke to him but whenever I watch a Bond movie I hear his laughter and that shared moment I spent near him travelling through Austria. Sheer bliss!!
Met Mr. Llewelyn in 1998. It was at the LasVegas Consumer Electronic Show convention. He was representing a product at the con. A very gracious man. So unfortunate that he lost his life in a car accident the following year. But I’m glad I met him. Only Bond franchise actor that I have ever met in person.
@@matthewjay5483 I always wondered if TWINE was supposed to be his send off, or whether he was supposed to come back for DAD. Clearly John Cleese was introduced to take over, but I'm not sure if they were just going to see how long Desmond could do them for.
@@davidjames579 I was reading the 'making of' book for 'TWINE' and apparently Desmond was unsure he could do the film as he had an operation coming up so suggested an assistant/back up if he couldn't do it and John Cleese [who wanted to play a Bond villain believe it or not!] got the job. The producers were under the impression this would be it [as Desmond was 85 and DND wouldn't be made until 2002 for the 40th anniversary] but Desmond was still intending to return if he could. Sadly fate would have it otherwise...
Yeah, it’s really weird. Like I say, I can’t remember anything THIS promotional happening in other episodes but I’d love to know if any more were as overtly promotional
@@calvindyson There's another mini-documentary, made around the time TWINE, somewhere on UA-cam that actually is a straightforward biography of Llewelyn.
@@calvindyson It could be that Desmond Llewelyn wasn't important enough to merit an episode of the show so Goldeneye had to subsidize some of it to make it happen.
We used to run a pub in mid Wales called The George And Dragon in Knighton, and Desmond Llewelyn was a regular, lovely chap, always polite, and his favourite tipple was Guiness!
Very silly how this episode that is supposed to be a celebration of his life is basically a commercial for Goldeneye and features guests like Izabella Scorupco who - as you pointed out - he has probably barely just said “ hello” to! But that movie - because it was the return of 007 was promoted like crazy in this way so I’m not surprised! I even remember attending my one and only James Bond convention at that time here in NYC at the Millennium Hotel that was also done to promote the movie. And of my greatest regrets ever was meeting Desmond there with my wife and baby daughter and - unbelievably - NOT taking a picture! (back in the days before we all carried cameras in our phones everywhere!!) I remember him being as friendly and charming as we had always hoped he would be!
I think it’s a real shame they didn’t get Roger and Tim in as well, because from what I’ve heard he got on very well with them. Sure they might have been unable to make the recording (Tim I know lives in LA so he might not have wanted to fly all the way to London and back again) but I’ve seen episodes where they played prerecorded clips (e.g. Patrick MacNee’s episode - Diana Rigg couldn’t be there in person, but she leaves a message and it’s very touching). I think it just reinforces the notion this is just to promote GoldenEye, so we must have the audience accepting and embracing Pierce, can’t have them remembering previous Bonds they might prefer. I suppose, what with Pierce’s first Bond film just been released they didn’t want other Bonds upstarting him, but it wasn’t his night!
It's amazing just how long Desmond Llewelyn was in Bond for. 36 YEARS! What an amazing period of continuity, throughout all the changes behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera, Llewelyn was a constant. Such a rarity.
Brilliant video, thanks! That was a bit hilarious. Good to see old Desmond enjoying the more relevant guests. I suppose had there been no film to promote, then possibly there'd have been no big red book for the great man. Nice to see John Glen in there too.
Yeah, his face really lights up when it’s his actual friends or people he hasn’t seen in years. Like I say in the video, he just comes across as a lovely down to earth bloke
@@jamesatkinsonja I don't see a problem with them doing it around the time of a new film, but playing clips he's not in is crass. Along with the choice of interviewed guests.
The ulterior motive was promoting Goldeneye. This is not unlike the "coincidence" of Chuck Jones being given an honorary Oscar the very year Space Jam was released.
I definitely imagine I would have watched this at the time, but can't remember. Thank you for finding it. All Bond fans lost an honourary grandad when Desmond was sadly taken from us 😪
This got me imagining a 'This Is Your Life" in years to come for you Calvin. Someone like Olly Murrs hosts, shows your UA-cam channel montage (becomes a promo for it). Mentions Diminishing Returns and brings out Allen Turing and Sol Harris - you then have that look of "oh I spoke to them on messenger last week *shrug*". Later David Zaritsky comes out (after more UA-cam Bond channel montage) and does an anecdote about the For Your Eyes Only debate in which he says "but no seriously, a great "ally" *winks to audience* and a true British Bond historian, who is definitely the 2nd best Bond fan I know" *gets red book, roll credits*
@@calvindyson Yeah I can imagine it vividly. As long as Brosnan comes out as well. "Well yes Calvin and I are meeting for the first time but we shared a pool on holiday once. I only found that out via his wonderful channel. *Kisses your hand*
Amazing video Calvin! I would’ve never known this existed if you hadn’t done this video. You introduced me to a lot of extra bond documentaries and promotional specials and stuff like that, that i would’ve never known before. That is why you are the best bond UA-camr. You don’t just do reviews of the usual films and everything else, but you dig deep to find small extra bits of bond that we wouldn’t have known before. It’s very interesting hearing about these things, like the Goldeneye Ian Fleming biography review, or the Roger Moore in 1987 review, or the Welcome to Japan promotional show review and it makes me want to learn more about it and do research on it. Also sorry to bother but do you know when your AVTAK review and your next myths of james bond videos will come out? Thank you Calvin! Keep up the Great work!
On the off-chance that any TV executives are looking at this, they should make the show "This is Your Dish" from the Vincent Price film "Theatre of Blood" a reality. A star gets surprised with a delicious meal prepared by a top chef and enjoys it while the story of his or her life is told. It would surely be a ratings winner..
My favorite TIYL episode is from the American one, featuring Boris Karloff. It’s from the 1950s. Karloff is reunited with an old friend of his from primary school And the both of them carry-on with their memories for so long, that host Ralph Edwards had to interject and tell them that they would have more time to talk at the party after the show. It’s on UA-cam. I recommend it.
"I remember the first time I met Famke. Because it was a moment ago". Desmond was too much of a gentleman to do that, but I do feel sorry him receiving tributes and anecdotes from people he barely knew. The fact they're the stars of this new film makes it all the more transparently commercial. And at the expense of a great Rock of the franchise. He deserved better. I get that This Is Your Life was capitalizing on the public's excitement on getting the first Bond film for six years (during which many thought we may never get another), but a tribute to Desmond's life and career with plenty of clips of him as Q would have been enough. Save the GoldenEye ads for the commercial breaks. There was ample opportunity for Bond programming around this time, such as series retrospective, Making Of GoldenEye, Gadgets/Cars Countdown, Bond Music studio performance show, Ian Fleming doc, and coverage of the premiere. TIYL could have just been a nice subtle bonus.
Great video, what a blatant promo this episode was for Goldeneye 😂😂. Sad to say Desmond lost his life down my way on a notorious stretch of road, I remember everyone was talking about it, most of us - myself included - didn't even know he lived locally.
Desmond says in his Bio that he prefered the after party, the surprise makes him a little nervous, a say others funny things about this day. You need to comment this important book. Nice to follow your channel in Brazil.
This is the perfect analogy for how the producers viewed Desmond Llewellyn. "He's important just not that important, here's a bunch of promotional crap!" There's several movies he's in a for maybe one or two scenes total. I was just watching Diamonds Are Forever and when Bond is at the Whyte House and he's on the phone with Felix just before he goes to play craps, Felix tells him Q just arrived with the real diamonds to Las Vegas. Hence why Q is in the casino later ripping off the slot machines haha. There has to have been a scene where Q gives Bond the real Diamonds which Tiffany Case then delivers later on. That somewhat important scene isn't in final cut. So Broccoli and Saltzman cared so little about the character his lack of an expositional scene becomes kind of a plot hole. Luckily he eventually got to be a major player in License To Kill. Great video!
Had "Cubby" been in charge of the 007/Bond cinematic endeavour (he sadly no longer was due to declining health) he may well not have put Desmond through that dog-and-pony show. Thus, he would not have "attended" (in any event).
I saw this when it went out and you could practically hear the long sighs form Des every time they plugged Goldeneye, although I'm sure they edited out a lot of stuff with his school friends and army mates. I've always thought Cubby Broccoli would've been a better fit and he'd have been more amenable to the promotional stuff.
@@b.chaline4394 Cubby was still alive (this went out 1995, he died 1996), but yes, he was living in LA at the time and was too ill to travel. It’s a shame they didn’t record a video clip though, I’m sure he would’ve said some very lovely things.
I honestly didn’t remember that show lasting until the mid 90s, though it was axed way earlier. Apparently it didn’t end until 2003. I never really cared for it as a kid, probably I didn’t know who the majority of the celebrities were and was not really thrilled at seeing their families or fellow students from their time at private school
I was at the Leicester Square premiere of GoldenEye and there was much talk at the after-party about how very pissed off Desmond Llewelyn was to have been ambushed by such a cheap trick.
Honestly if I was in Desmond’s position I would probably break down. They took what was meant to be a tribute to his life where his family, friends and close colleagues could reminisce and look back on his wonderful life and career and they instead decided to bring in a bunch of actors he barely knew and promoted a movie instead whilst his friends and family were left until the end. Poor guy had a right to he pissed off
I remember when this aired and I lapped up the Goldeneye clips. I do remember finding it odd that Famke Janssen was in there. She has no connection to him whatsoever…
What would have been really cool is if they brought on the other two surviving Q actors: Geoffrey Bayldon and Alec McCowen. Not only did they all play Q at some stage, they also all appeared in the same Titanic movie. Llewellyn played a Titanic crew member trying to reassure third class passengers at the gates, Bayldon played radio operator Cyril Evens aboard the Californian, and McCowen played radio operator Harold Cottam aboard the Carpathia. Coincidentally enough, Peter Burton was also in A Night To Remember, he played a first class steward aboard the Titanic.
God this was wholesome, I wish we could see more of these with veteran Bond actors. I don't mind the Goldeneye promotion since we get to see the cast interact in ways they wouldn't in the film.
it must have been so amazing though for fans to see the return of Q in this movie (and 2 more) and my brothers say it was quite a big deal at the time, given he's kinda the only reoccurring actor since 1963 and was an event finally see Q again after 6 years !!!!
I saw that episode as it went out originally on TV.. and yes, I thought it was just a blatent plug for the new Bond film after the umpteen years after Licence to Kill 😏
I'm surprised the show didn't have every single soldier from the chemical weapons facility arrive and sing about the glory of GoldenEye and how grateful ol' Desmond should be that he could associate himself with it.
Well thats kind of the problem with playing the one character for (at that point) about 40 years, everything just gets tied to that. He wasnt known for anything else.
@@davidjames579 Did you know the actor who voiced Trevor Noiseworthy was also the one who played the title role in the Legacy of Kain series? Astonishing! xD
Nothing against Pierce but Desmond is plugging the new film and it was Pierce's first which the audience hasn't seen yet. It's like when actors are on the promo trail and say the new film is the 'best thing ever'. If he'd said 'he's good but no Connery' the air would go out of the room!
In one of the new Alan Partridge episodes, he tries to get out of a sticky situation by grabbing a restaurant menu and pretending to be the new host of 'This is your life'! No one is fooled!
I know you don't like the Timothy Dalton Bond movies, Calvin, but in License To Kill Desmond Llewellyn was not only in most of the movie, he was a vital member of Team Bond. He was treated with respect.
This really felt like a inappropriate occasion to do marketing for Goldeneye. It would have been different if instead of Isabelle and Famke, we had all the prior Bonds (especially Roger Moore) and other actors that Desmond worked with would have been so much better. The over saturation of Goldeneye almost ruins the whole thing
This is totally nasty Calvin! It would have been, so much better if it was just about him. But too plug, a new film that way is not good! I adore his Q, his so brilliant, goodness it is so sad his part wasn’t bigger in those film. The man’s a legend! No less.
Speaking of Llewelyn history, have you seen this clip of him demonstrating an ejector seat long before the Bond films were made? ua-cam.com/video/G2HzB6j8SsY/v-deo.html It’s kinda surreal watching him do pretty much a Q scene from 10-20 years before he played the character, and that it’d involve one of the character’s most famous inventions. Of course, it goes without saying that he is not joking. He never did.
Famke kept it real. She was a bit off color, I think, for a This is Your Life for Desmond, but she was honest. THEY should have had Roger and Tim. I think that Tim and Desmond had a really great rapport, and Desmond once paid Tim a very great compliment about him being “Fleming’s Bond”. Pierce has always struck me as a bit fake and this appearance is no great exception.
Yeah of the three GoldenEye stars I think she comes across the best. Izabella lays it on a bit too thick and I feel like Pierce is struggling to know how to ‘play’ it here. On the one hand, it’s a big promo moment for his first Bond film and his nervousness comes through in a few places. On the other hand, it’s a cosy family show about an older and much beloved actor who he barely knows but has to fill time talking about. Roger would have been a natural at this, shame he wasn’t involved.
Obviously, it can be argued that John Glen made a mockery of the die-hard Flemming text, during Dalton's reign - but in my opinion, he made a lucrative and successful path for Roger then set up two solid films for Dalton. And that's okay! Imagine Dalton doing Casino, he was on record as saying that Craig should have won the Oscar for Skyfall. Love Dalton, but soooo appreciated what Roger did, and he's one hell of an underrated actor.
To be fair though, This Is Your Life would never have normally featured Desmond as (to the public anyway) he has only ever been Q in the Bond films (Alright, he turned up in the scrap yard at the start of Chitty Chitty but he's not exactly got a diverse career rivaling Daniel Day Lewis has he!). This was an excellent chance to pay him a tribute, promote the film and get all the main players on the screen. But if they had tried it without the heavy slant on Goldeneye I don't think anyone apart from the odd die hard Bond fan would care about his personal life. Harsh I know, but true.
Imagine your life being a promo for GoldenEye
Eh, could be worse. At least it's not a promo for Die Another Die.
@@HOTD108_ True 🤣
Not a horrible way to go
@@cmarcukaitis yep you get crushed to death if you have sex and I regularly drive my tank to the shops 😁
Can we settle with GoldenEye 64
Desmond deserved more than that. Not just because he was Q, not just because he was in the series from From Russia With Love to The World Is Not Enough over a length of time and no of films that will likely not be broken, not just because of some of the other things he did such as Follyfoot, but because he was a great human being
Desmond was such a distinguished actor I was on a train travelling through Austria in the 90’s and he was sat in the seat in front of me roaring with laughter talking to a young lady next to him.
I lost my nerve and never spoke to him but whenever I watch a Bond movie I hear his laughter and that shared moment I spent near him travelling through Austria. Sheer bliss!!
Wow that’s so cool!!! You lucky thing
Why'd you lose your nerve? Because he was having fun?
Met Mr. Llewelyn in 1998. It was at the LasVegas Consumer Electronic Show convention. He was representing a product at the con. A very gracious man. So unfortunate that he lost his life in a car accident the following year. But I’m glad I met him. Only Bond franchise actor that I have ever met in person.
Thanks for sharing this, George. Very cool memory! I’ve never heard a bad word said about Llewelyn.
I met Desmond three before before his death at a promotional event for his Autobiography. He said to me God willing he would be in the next film.
@@matthewjay5483 I always wondered if TWINE was supposed to be his send off, or whether he was supposed to come back for DAD. Clearly John Cleese was introduced to take over, but I'm not sure if they were just going to see how long Desmond could do them for.
@@davidjames579 It's due to the scenes in TWINE that prompted me to say to Desmond I thought that was his ladt film, but apparently he was due for DAD
@@davidjames579 I was reading the 'making of' book for 'TWINE' and apparently Desmond was unsure he could do the film as he had an operation coming up so suggested an assistant/back up if he couldn't do it and John Cleese [who wanted to play a Bond villain believe it or not!] got the job. The producers were under the impression this would be it [as Desmond was 85 and DND wouldn't be made until 2002 for the 40th anniversary] but Desmond was still intending to return if he could. Sadly fate would have it otherwise...
It’s really sad they turned this into a ad for the movie instead of focusing on the amazing career he’s had
Yeah, it’s really weird. Like I say, I can’t remember anything THIS promotional happening in other episodes but I’d love to know if any more were as overtly promotional
@@calvindyson There's another mini-documentary, made around the time TWINE, somewhere on UA-cam that actually is a straightforward biography of Llewelyn.
Actually makes me feel uncomfortable seeing Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson smiling in the audience, thinking "We did good here"
@@calvindyson It could be that Desmond Llewelyn wasn't important enough to merit an episode of the show so Goldeneye had to subsidize some of it to make it happen.
We used to run a pub in mid Wales called The George And Dragon in Knighton, and Desmond Llewelyn was a regular, lovely chap, always polite, and his favourite tipple was Guiness!
Very silly how this episode that is supposed to be a celebration of his life is basically a commercial for Goldeneye
and features guests like Izabella Scorupco who - as you pointed out - he has probably barely just said “ hello” to!
But that movie - because it was the return of 007 was promoted like crazy in this way so I’m not surprised!
I even remember attending my one and only James Bond convention at that time here in NYC
at the Millennium Hotel that was also done to promote the movie.
And of my greatest regrets ever was meeting Desmond there with my wife and baby daughter
and - unbelievably - NOT taking a picture!
(back in the days before we all carried cameras in our phones everywhere!!)
I remember him being as friendly and charming as we had always hoped he would be!
Poor old Desmond I felt sorry for him at the time and was slightly peed off at the promotion crap
The moments with his old friends is really sweet
I think it’s a real shame they didn’t get Roger and Tim in as well, because from what I’ve heard he got on very well with them. Sure they might have been unable to make the recording (Tim I know lives in LA so he might not have wanted to fly all the way to London and back again) but I’ve seen episodes where they played prerecorded clips (e.g. Patrick MacNee’s episode - Diana Rigg couldn’t be there in person, but she leaves a message and it’s very touching). I think it just reinforces the notion this is just to promote GoldenEye, so we must have the audience accepting and embracing Pierce, can’t have them remembering previous Bonds they might prefer. I suppose, what with Pierce’s first Bond film just been released they didn’t want other Bonds upstarting him, but it wasn’t his night!
I think Roger spoke at his funeral.
@@ClassicRockLivesOn yes he did
Some of this genuinely made me blush from second hand embarrassment, damn they really were shameless
It's amazing just how long Desmond Llewelyn was in Bond for. 36 YEARS! What an amazing period of continuity, throughout all the changes behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera, Llewelyn was a constant. Such a rarity.
Surprised they didn’t bring out Desmond’s baguette lunch it was that GoldenEye-leaned!
I remember cringing at this back in '95 and it, er, holds up now. Poor Desmond Llewellyn seemed like such a lovely man.
Brilliant video, thanks! That was a bit hilarious. Good to see old Desmond enjoying the more relevant guests. I suppose had there been no film to promote, then possibly there'd have been no big red book for the great man. Nice to see John Glen in there too.
Yeah, his face really lights up when it’s his actual friends or people he hasn’t seen in years. Like I say in the video, he just comes across as a lovely down to earth bloke
@@calvindyson Well hey, just like our favourite Bond reviewer..!
Yeah, I doubt they would have done it otherwise which is a shame.
@@jamesatkinsonja I don't see a problem with them doing it around the time of a new film, but playing clips he's not in is crass. Along with the choice of interviewed guests.
Greetings from an overcast Wisconsin this morning, Calvin. Thanks for the brightness already in my day!
The ulterior motive was promoting Goldeneye. This is not unlike the "coincidence" of Chuck Jones being given an honorary Oscar the very year Space Jam was released.
I think the deal here was probably that ITV got to show Bond footage and to get hold of stars on condition they promote the film.
Lol, I started picturing a scene of Q being crushed in between Xenia’s legs
"I'm just attempting re-entry, Sir"
Fun fact: Bernard Lee was the only man who could drink Richard Burton under the table.
Well a third of this video was Ekster wallet promotion so I think you parodied the biography show well.
I definitely imagine I would have watched this at the time, but can't remember. Thank you for finding it. All Bond fans lost an honourary grandad when Desmond was sadly taken from us 😪
Yes, Desmond, your life is all nice and very well, but let's get back to talking about GoldenEye for the tenth time.
This got me imagining a 'This Is Your Life" in years to come for you Calvin. Someone like Olly Murrs hosts, shows your UA-cam channel montage (becomes a promo for it). Mentions Diminishing Returns and brings out Allen Turing and Sol Harris - you then have that look of "oh I spoke to them on messenger last week *shrug*".
Later David Zaritsky comes out (after more UA-cam Bond channel montage) and does an anecdote about the For Your Eyes Only debate in which he says "but no seriously, a great "ally" *winks to audience* and a true British Bond historian, who is definitely the 2nd best Bond fan I know" *gets red book, roll credits*
This is startlingly accurate as to how such a program would probably go 😂😂
@@calvindyson Yeah I can imagine it vividly. As long as Brosnan comes out as well. "Well yes Calvin and I are meeting for the first time but we shared a pool on holiday once. I only found that out via his wonderful channel. *Kisses your hand*
@@chrisretro81 I can imagine David Zaritsky hosting a game show or This is your life for some reason!
@@chrisretro81 Or Pierce says "I recognised Calvin in Iceland, but I was too nervous to introduce myself"
He was a POW in Colditz castle. They could have spent half the show on that alone.
I can't think of any other episode of TIYL that so shamelessly doubles as a plug for a movie.
Amazing video Calvin! I would’ve never known this existed if you hadn’t done this video. You introduced me to a lot of extra bond documentaries and promotional specials and stuff like that, that i would’ve never known before. That is why you are the best bond UA-camr. You don’t just do reviews of the usual films and everything else, but you dig deep to find small extra bits of bond that we wouldn’t have known before. It’s very interesting hearing about these things, like the Goldeneye Ian Fleming biography review, or the Roger Moore in 1987 review, or the Welcome to Japan promotional show review and it makes me want to learn more about it and do research on it.
Also sorry to bother but do you know when your AVTAK review and your next myths of james bond videos will come out? Thank you Calvin! Keep up the Great work!
On the off-chance that any TV executives are looking at this, they should make the show "This is Your Dish" from the Vincent Price film "Theatre of Blood" a reality. A star gets surprised with a delicious meal prepared by a top chef and enjoys it while the story of his or her life is told. It would surely be a ratings winner..
You're a sick and twisted individual.
Hey Simon, have you seen my dogs ? 😂
@@ricardocantoral7672 {whistles)
My favorite TIYL episode is from the American one, featuring Boris Karloff. It’s from the 1950s. Karloff is reunited with an old friend of his from primary school And the both of them carry-on with their memories for so long, that host Ralph Edwards had to interject and tell them that they would have more time to talk at the party after the show. It’s on UA-cam. I recommend it.
"I remember the first time I met Famke. Because it was a moment ago". Desmond was too much of a gentleman to do that, but I do feel sorry him receiving tributes and anecdotes from people he barely knew. The fact they're the stars of this new film makes it all the more transparently commercial. And at the expense of a great Rock of the franchise. He deserved better.
I get that This Is Your Life was capitalizing on the public's excitement on getting the first Bond film for six years (during which many thought we may never get another), but a tribute to Desmond's life and career with plenty of clips of him as Q would have been enough. Save the GoldenEye ads for the commercial breaks.
There was ample opportunity for Bond programming around this time, such as series retrospective, Making Of GoldenEye, Gadgets/Cars Countdown, Bond Music studio performance show, Ian Fleming doc, and coverage of the premiere. TIYL could have just been a nice subtle bonus.
I get the image of the producer face palming at Franka Janssen's honesty!
There's a strange electrical sound just after she says it. I think it's Famke's shock collar being activated, so she gets back on message.
This is one of the funniest videos I've ever enjoyed on your channel, Calvin. Great video celebrating a great actor and man! Congrats.
This is your Life is like a funeral except you're alive.
Pierce will always have an excuse to tell that story of his first time watching Goldfinger, even if he's not promoting Bond :).
Great video, what a blatant promo this episode was for Goldeneye 😂😂. Sad to say Desmond lost his life down my way on a notorious stretch of road, I remember everyone was talking about it, most of us - myself included - didn't even know he lived locally.
Desmond says in his Bio that he prefered the after party, the surprise makes him a little nervous, a say others funny things about this day. You need to comment this important book. Nice to follow your channel in Brazil.
This is the perfect analogy for how the producers viewed Desmond Llewellyn. "He's important just not that important, here's a bunch of promotional crap!" There's several movies he's in a for maybe one or two scenes total. I was just watching Diamonds Are Forever and when Bond is at the Whyte House and he's on the phone with Felix just before he goes to play craps, Felix tells him Q just arrived with the real diamonds to Las Vegas. Hence why Q is in the casino later ripping off the slot machines haha. There has to have been a scene where Q gives Bond the real Diamonds which Tiffany Case then delivers later on. That somewhat important scene isn't in final cut. So Broccoli and Saltzman cared so little about the character his lack of an expositional scene becomes kind of a plot hole. Luckily he eventually got to be a major player in License To Kill. Great video!
A great shame Charles "It's just a jump to the left" Gray and Cubby "We're not science fiction we're science fact" Broccoli couldn't attend
Had "Cubby" been in charge of the 007/Bond cinematic endeavour (he sadly no longer was due to declining health) he may well not have put Desmond through that dog-and-pony show. Thus, he would not have "attended" (in any event).
I saw this when it went out and you could practically hear the long sighs form Des every time they plugged Goldeneye, although I'm sure they edited out a lot of stuff with his school friends and army mates. I've always thought Cubby Broccoli would've been a better fit and he'd have been more amenable to the promotional stuff.
Sadly, I’m not even sure Cubby was still alive when this aired… and if so, he was probably too sick to attend :/
@@b.chaline4394 Cubby was still alive (this went out 1995, he died 1996), but yes, he was living in LA at the time and was too ill to travel. It’s a shame they didn’t record a video clip though, I’m sure he would’ve said some very lovely things.
Bravo Calvin 👏. The Izabella Scorupco segment in particular was tv gold 😂. Bless Desmond - a good sport indeed.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Calvin.
My pleasure! Hope you enjoyed it 😁
They should have brought on all the Q Lab tech blokes who were maimed in various ways working on prototypes.
Desmond will always be my all time favorite Bond Actor. So amazing and funny.
The No Time To Die joke was brilliant Calvin😂
I honestly didn’t remember that show lasting until the mid 90s, though it was axed way earlier. Apparently it didn’t end until 2003. I never really cared for it as a kid, probably I didn’t know who the majority of the celebrities were and was not really thrilled at seeing their families or fellow students from their time at private school
It was ITV originally then that finished and the BBC revived it in the 90's.
I was at the Leicester Square premiere of GoldenEye and there was much talk at the after-party about how very pissed off Desmond Llewelyn was to have been ambushed by such a cheap trick.
Wow! I suspected that the episode was a cynical promotion, I feel sorry that Desmond saw it for what it was. He seemed a lovely person.
Honestly if I was in Desmond’s position I would probably break down. They took what was meant to be a tribute to his life where his family, friends and close colleagues could reminisce and look back on his wonderful life and career and they instead decided to bring in a bunch of actors he barely knew and promoted a movie instead whilst his friends and family were left until the end. Poor guy had a right to he pissed off
I remember when this aired and I lapped up the Goldeneye clips. I do remember finding it odd that Famke Janssen was in there. She has no connection to him whatsoever…
What would have been really cool is if they brought on the other two surviving Q actors: Geoffrey Bayldon and Alec McCowen. Not only did they all play Q at some stage, they also all appeared in the same Titanic movie. Llewellyn played a Titanic crew member trying to reassure third class passengers at the gates, Bayldon played radio operator Cyril Evens aboard the Californian, and McCowen played radio operator Harold Cottam aboard the Carpathia. Coincidentally enough, Peter Burton was also in A Night To Remember, he played a first class steward aboard the Titanic.
There are rumors that an uncredited, pre-007 Sean Connery plays a crewman in ANTR, but I believe they've been debunked.
Your take on this whole episode is hilarious!!!
Genuinely shocked Roger wasn't there. Damn you staged promotional events.
Can you imagine if the N64 game also came out in 1995 and they devoted a 1/3 of the show to it as well? Lol.
I watched this when it was in the telly you could ask yourself why didn’t they do this years ago
God this was wholesome, I wish we could see more of these with veteran Bond actors. I don't mind the Goldeneye promotion since we get to see the cast interact in ways they wouldn't in the film.
This is Your Promo, er, I mean Life!
it must have been so amazing though for fans to see the return of Q in this movie (and 2 more) and my brothers say it was quite a big deal at the time, given he's kinda the only reoccurring actor since 1963 and was an event finally see Q again after 6 years !!!!
Oh dear God, Izabella is so mind-blowingly gorgeous! ♥
I’m surprised none of the other bonds made an appearance, especially Roger Moore
Moore wasn't in Goldeneye
@@DarthRushy and?
@@jonathanward7320 that's all
@@DarthRushy well I suppose I should thank you for stating the bleeding obvious 👍🏻
Desmond was such a true gentleman! And a great asset to the franchise! He really can never be replaced.
RIP Desmond Llewelyn. The best Q ever. No one tops him, not even Ben Wilshaw
I saw that episode as it went out originally on TV.. and yes, I thought it was just a blatent plug for the new Bond film after the umpteen years after Licence to Kill 😏
Coming soon maybe 😂 for no time to die in my local cinema it still says April 2nd love the goldeneye game music at the end.
Aww! It's Sunday!
4:40 I saw this special awhile ago, but only now do I realize where Mad magazine got that shot of Brosnan's Bond kissing the villain's hand from.
I'm surprised the show didn't have every single soldier from the chemical weapons facility arrive and sing about the glory of GoldenEye and how grateful ol' Desmond should be that he could associate himself with it.
I remember watching this at the time and feeling so awful for Desmond
Well thats kind of the problem with playing the one character for (at that point) about 40 years, everything just gets tied to that. He wasnt known for anything else.
@@theyellowlightsaber3193 as Calvin pointed out though, it was a cringe worthy promotion for Goldeneye and then about his life.
@@mck-qt7hu See above
Your hair is looking on point bro 👍🏻
Calvin, you should do a video on Pierce Brosnan's Robin Hood documentary. He pretty much channels Alan Partridge through the whole thing.
"small cows"
@@davidjames579 Robert...Hood
No Judi Dench? No Samantha Bond?
"Always have an escape plan."
Cute glasses!
My sheet would say I've seen *all* of James Bond Jr. I'm not sorry, haha. 🤣
I can just imagine the next mystery guest being the voice actor who did JBJ, or worse still Gordo Lieter.
@@davidjames579 Did you know the actor who voiced Trevor Noiseworthy was also the one who played the title role in the Legacy of Kain series? Astonishing! xD
It was nice to see so many different Bond ensemble actors in the same room from different eras
You get more of it in the 'BAFTA tribute' from 2002 though Sean Connery isn't present quite a lot of Bond Alumni are there.
Desmond was a prisoner in Colditz, for goodness sake. No lack of interesting anecdotes there, you would think.
I didn´t know that. What a missed opportunity though!
I agree with Desmond about Pierce being the definitive bond. Those where Desmonds last movies too so it makes sense.
Nothing against Pierce but Desmond is plugging the new film and it was Pierce's first which the audience hasn't seen yet. It's like when actors are on the promo trail and say the new film is the 'best thing ever'. If he'd said 'he's good but no Connery' the air would go out of the room!
In one of the new Alan Partridge episodes, he tries to get out of a sticky situation by grabbing a restaurant menu and pretending to be the new host of 'This is your life'! No one is fooled!
I know you don't like the Timothy Dalton Bond movies, Calvin, but in License To Kill Desmond Llewellyn was not only in most of the movie, he was a vital member of Team Bond. He was treated with respect.
He's a vital part of the team [as he is in Octopussy] but I'd be surprised if his screen time was more than 10 minutes but he makes it count.
Hello Calvin
Hello there!
Thanks for the response
I hate sand as much as you do !
@@ricardocantoral7672 A man of culture I see
Great idea / job Calvin.
Would love to see you Review the Hulu George Lazenby Movie! That is just exceptional!
Haven't seen the show so will have to find it. Wonder if any mention of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was made.
9:45 i now want to see Q's scenes but him as a welshman he was comedy gold already sometimes
This particular episode has since been taken down due to the account being closed.
This is really sad. I mean Q is a National institution.
This really felt like a inappropriate occasion to do marketing for Goldeneye. It would have been different if instead of Isabelle and Famke, we had all the prior Bonds (especially Roger Moore) and other actors that Desmond worked with would have been so much better. The over saturation of Goldeneye almost ruins the whole thing
This is totally nasty Calvin! It would have been, so much better if it was just about him. But too plug, a new film that way is not good! I adore his Q, his so brilliant, goodness it is so sad his part wasn’t bigger in those film. The man’s a legend! No less.
I'd feel embarrassed if I was Aspel - the man's over 80! Give him a few proper friends to hug dammit.
Speaking of Llewelyn history, have you seen this clip of him demonstrating an ejector seat long before the Bond films were made?
ua-cam.com/video/G2HzB6j8SsY/v-deo.html
It’s kinda surreal watching him do pretty much a Q scene from 10-20 years before he played the character, and that it’d involve one of the character’s most famous inventions. Of course, it goes without saying that he is not joking. He never did.
Calvin should do a video on this! Q before Q!
Would love if he'd done it in a Welsh accent: "Well you just press the button here, see"
His younger self's resemblance to Matt Smith is uncanny.
I remember watching this at the time and I thought it was really poor form by the producers.
Nice look at these kinda "Promotional" Hickups. Im sure here in Germany these kinda things happend on TV aswell.
Famke kept it real. She was a bit off color, I think, for a This is Your Life for Desmond, but she was honest. THEY should have had Roger and Tim. I think that Tim and Desmond had a really great rapport, and Desmond once paid Tim a very great compliment about him being “Fleming’s Bond”.
Pierce has always struck me as a bit fake and this appearance is no great exception.
Yeah of the three GoldenEye stars I think she comes across the best. Izabella lays it on a bit too thick and I feel like Pierce is struggling to know how to ‘play’ it here. On the one hand, it’s a big promo moment for his first Bond film and his nervousness comes through in a few places. On the other hand, it’s a cosy family show about an older and much beloved actor who he barely knows but has to fill time talking about. Roger would have been a natural at this, shame he wasn’t involved.
Famke is beautiful
Obviously, it can be argued that John Glen made a mockery of the die-hard Flemming text, during Dalton's reign - but in my opinion, he made a lucrative and successful path for Roger then set up two solid films for Dalton.
And that's okay! Imagine Dalton doing Casino, he was on record as saying that Craig should have won the Oscar for Skyfall.
Love Dalton, but soooo appreciated what Roger did, and he's one hell of an underrated actor.
To be fair though, This Is Your Life would never have normally featured Desmond as (to the public anyway) he has only ever been Q in the Bond films (Alright, he turned up in the scrap yard at the start of Chitty Chitty but he's not exactly got a diverse career rivaling Daniel Day Lewis has he!). This was an excellent chance to pay him a tribute, promote the film and get all the main players on the screen. But if they had tried it without the heavy slant on Goldeneye I don't think anyone apart from the odd die hard Bond fan would care about his personal life. Harsh I know, but true.
Well, of course. Desmond Llewellyn is only a celebrity for Bond fans.
But people watched This Is Your Life on a weekly basis so I think they would have got similar viewing figures.
I know this is so off topic Calvin, but you need to watch The Black Widow. There is a scene in that movie that will put a smile on your face.
The casino segment of Black Panther had a serious 'Bond' vibe which was cool.
@@jamesatkinsonja That's not the reason why I'm suggesting Calvin to watch Black Widow
@@greatwuta Sorry, just thought I'd add that was a very Bondian sequence in the MCU.
He has watched it and... I think he found what you were referring too! letterboxd.com/calvindyson/film/black-widow-2021/
@@jamesatkinsonja Yes, that is it 🤣
You keep mentioning 'the host'. That, incidentally, is the TV legend that is Michael Aspel!
At least this one’s not as awkward to look back on as the Gary Glitter episode.
7:50 Famke's Character had literal Killer thighs.
Desmond calling brosnan the definitive Bond is good enough for me Pierce is my #1
Calvin dyson IS desmond Llewelyn put through a de-aging process: 8.19
Newport, Monmouthshire, also my birthplace and home town
haaa, love your comments on this Desmond TIYL - haha, his comments on Brosnan, THEN your opinion. :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))00
Double Calvin -maybe he could be your twin and turns out he’s out for revenge?
The Calvin Who Haunted Himself
Just found it sugar, how the fuck I have missed this!? We MUST talk!