648 Royal Film Premiere - Never Say Never Again

First  viewed ; 14  December  1983

This  is  another  programme  I  recall  watching  at  my  hall  of  residence. Never  Say  Never  Again was  an  unofficial  Bond  film  which  saw  Sean  Connery  return  to  the  role  although,  as  far  as  the  plot  goes , it's  a  re-hash  of  Thunderball  which  is  of  course  in  the  canon. It's  OK , the  only  outstanding  feature  is  the  performance  of  Austrian  actor  Klaus  Maria  Brandauer  as  the  villain.

The  premiere  was  notable  for  the  performance  of  TV  historian  Michael  Wood  as  the  host. Out  of   his  comfort  zone , Wood  combined  ineptitude  with  stating  the  obvious  - " well, crowds  are  now  arriving, as  we  wait  for,er, Prince  Andrew  to  come"  and  toe-curling  fawning  at  the  stars, reminding  us  that  he  was  a  Bond  fan   at  every  opportunity. His  interviewing  skills  were  particularly  bad,  asking  the  actors  if  they  enjoyed  playing  their  roles  for  instance. My  favourite  was  when  he  said  to  beautiful  Barbara  Carrera  "Let's  now  see  a  clip  of  your  climactic  moment " .

All  this  was  mercilessly  heckled  by  the  assorted  students in  the  junior common  room  which  is  why  it's  stuck  in  my  mind. I  don't  remember  Wood  getting  a  similar  gig  again.