I’m sure in
the fifty years of both franchises this question may have aroused before, but
at no time better than our present is this theory more plausible, after a
fashion.
Let’s analyze the points of intersection of the two characters:
James
Bond’s canonical debut was in 1962 with the movie Dr. No. while the first
episode of Doctor Who aired in 1963. So at one year apart, they are roughly the
same age.
Eleven
actors have played the Doctor, while six have played Bond. Every incarnation of
both had somewhat similar personality, and up until Daniel Craig took over
Bond’s role, both characters would share previous incarnation’s memories.
The Doctor
uses a T.A.R.D.I.S., Bond always finds an Astor Martin.
Both have used
gadgets. Speaking of gadgets, don’t you think the breather device used in
Thunderball does look a bit like a stylized sonic screwdriver?
And what
about companions? Always pretty damsels-in-distress seem to populate the path
of both characters. As to the different levels of intimacy they reach with the
companions, I won’t comment to keep this post PG-rated. But they have certainly
fallen in love in more than one occasion: Rose Tyler and Joan Redferm for the
Doctor, and Tracy Di Vicenzo and Vesper Lynd for Bond.
Would you
like more tangible proof? I’ll give you two:
1. Timothy
Dalton played both James
Bond, and the Lord
President of the Time Lords!
2. Upon M’s
escape from Silva’s assassination attempt, James Bond swifts her away in his
DB5 and utters: “We’re going back in time.”
Last year
we celebrated Bond’s fiftieth anniversary with an above-average excellent
movie, a side show of parachuting with the Queen of England into the Olympics
Opening Ceremony. Now things are gearing up for Doctor Who celebration that will,
or should, be quite memorable as well.
So, what do you think?
