For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond

read the transcript

Get a glimpse into the life and work of Ian Fleming, the mastermind behind the world's most famous secret agent, James Bond. It's For Your Eyes Only at London's Imperial War Museum, on until 1 March 2009.

The Life and Times of Ian Fleming in London

To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth, this, the first major exhibition about the man features materials which have never been seen before, unravelling the life of the author and his most famous fictional character.

For Your Eyes Only - The Exhibition in London

At the exhibition, you'll be able to learn about the writer's early life, his wartime career and work as a journalist and travel writer, as well as finding out how much of the famous James Bond plots were based on fact and how much on fiction. Plus, you can discover to what extent the adventures of the suave Secret Service agent were actually based on Fleming's own life.

Goldeneye, Goldfinger and Golf Shoes

Rare objects on display include

• Fleming's desk and chair from his Jamaican home, "Goldeneye"
• the jacket worn by Fleming during the Dieppe Raid in 1942
• a selection of annotated manuscripts and gadgets from the films Thunderball and Goldfinger.

Fans of the films can also see

• the "blood-splattered" shirt worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
• Halle Berry's barely-there bikini from Die Another Day
• Goldfinger's golf shoes

Ian Fleming's Legacy in London

The exhibition concludes with a look at Fleming's legacy and how one man's idea generated an entire industry.

Having transcended from film to toys, gadgets and clothes, Bond-fever continues to grip the global imagination. And Ian Fleming's legacy as a classic writer is yet To Die Another Day.

The exhibition opens at the Imperial Museum on 17 April.