Iconic 007 action sequences in pictures

007 is getting a new literary outing 60 years after Casino Royale

Interview

The first weapon looks like an innocuous electric torch, except it is able to fire three bullets. The second is a ballpoint pen with a poisoned needle. The third is another "poison pen", containing a bullet that both punctures the skin and releases a deadly toxin.

A “brave” pensioner has been praised by police after he grabbed the wheel of a bus after its driver passed out.

The latest James Bond film, Skyfall, has brought in £60m at box offices across the UK in the two weeks since its release, according to the cinema group Cineworld.

Pera Palace Istanbul

The 007-fan was tasked with condensing the classic series in a way that would appeal to both diehard and new readers

Man About Town: The series seems to be moving away from hack acting, gags which invoke the gag reflex, and bimbonic Bond babes to something altogether more serious

It's 50 years since James Bond made his film debut and the world's most famous secret agent has being having a not-so-secret affair with big brands ever since. From the watches, the beers and the cars that pay top dollar to feature as Bond's brands of choice in his movies, to the ads that have shamelessly appropriated some 007 cool, Ian Fleming's hero has probably sold more products than any other fictional character.

The James Bond film franchise turns 50 today with the release of a revealing new documentary about its turbulent past and the first listen of the new theme tune performed by Adele.

It is not that the release of Skyfall is unworthy of fanfare, particularly given that it coincides with the 50th anniversary of James Bond's first ever outing (in Dr No). BSkyB's decision to launch an entire channel dedicated to the exploits of 007 and his Walther PPK is, however, rather missing the point.

If comedy is the new rock 'n' roll, then Magnus Betner may be its Lou Reed: deadpan, downbeat and determinedly difficult. The Swede tells us he is a "fucking superstar" in his home country, though it's hard to tally that with the jaded figure who explains he couldn't be bothered to give his show a name. "People would go to something because of the title? How stupid is that?" he seethes. Duly, his set is austerely gimmick-free. A vitriolic jeremiad sees him weighing in on numerous "horrible, tragic" news stories – his preferred kind – with provocative one-liners and skewed sermonising. Given the ground covered, it's inevitably a mixed bag – his rundown of the Aids "hierarchy" was as trenchant as his analysis of the Batman shootings was glib. But, in an hour that inspires as many awkward silences as laughs, his uncompromising commitment to serious humour is a perversely admirable thing.

It's becoming something of a Sky speciality. Spend a bit of cash to hoick something from the terrestrial channels and then give it its own specialist channel so devotees can dedicate 24 hours a day, or thereabouts, to watching their favourite thing. It did it for sports, then it did it for Formula 1 and now it's doing it for the Bond films. It struck a deal in April with MGM, the film studio behind the spy franchise, to take the films away from ITV (who previously held the exclusive rights, which is why you were rarely more than a few hours away from Thunderball on ITV4). And from the autumn, Bond will be getting his martinis poured without ads on a temporary dedicated channel on Sky, launching on 5 October, which will also get the TV premiere of the forthcoming Skyfall.