Episode 1. A Stormy Childhood

Today's episode tips back to Fleming's turbulent and stormy childhood.
Read by multi-Olivier Award winning actor, Alex Jennings.

Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture, but Fleming was only a thriller writer in his last twelve years. Fleming's personal life and impressive career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical movements in world history, whilst providing rich inspiration for his fiction. Exceptionally well connected, and widely travelled, from the US and Soviet Russia to his beloved Jamaica, Ian had access to the most powerful political figures at a time of profound change. Nicholas Shakespeare's fascinating biography, with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers, uncovers new material and throws new light on an extraordinary man. Ian Fleming would strive all his life to throw off the shadows of his gifted older brother, and be a complete man, but ultimately was then overshadowed by his own famous creation.

Abridger - Rowan Routh
Producer - Pauline Harris