Happy birthday Mr. Bond

London - It's hard to believe he is only 50 years old, but it's quite likely James Bond will be around for another fifty years, and perhaps another 50 after that.

Fifty years ago today, the first James Bond film hit the big screen, and what better way to celebrate it than with International James Bond Day? You can find all the news for Mr Bond - or should that be Commander Bond? - on his website. According to the Internet Movie Database, the first film of this amazingly successful franchise, Dr No, was released in the UK on October 6, 1962; the previous day saw the world premiere at the London Pavilion. Dr No featured Sean Connery in the title role with Canadian actor Joseph Wiseman as the villain; Wiseman died in 2009. Sean Connery, now a knight, is considered by many good judges to be the most authentic Bond, although quintessential Englishman Roger Moore - who also played The Saint - brought something new to the role, and the consensus appears to be that the current holder of this esteemed office, Daniel Craig, is a worthy successor who has brought a darker character to the screen. Certainly when Sean Connery first used that classic: "...Bond, James Bond" all those years ago, no one would have credited that 50 years on, 007 would be parachuting into the Olympic arena with his boss, Queen Elizabeth II, who has been around even longer than him!