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Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades
June 15, 2025 · 41 min
Bogus sex parties, fake corpses, exploding tin cans and belligerent pigs. If you thought that James Bond's fictional escapades were outrageous, then the real-life experiences of his creator, Ian Fleming, are arguably even more extraordinary. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Edward Abel Smith reveals how Fleming's work as a wartime intelligence officer inspired the plotlines in his world-famous spy novels. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices