"Men prefer blondes - but marry brunettes", but does Bond subscribe to this mythology?

The MI6 search for the ultimate Bond girl begins with the big question - does Bond prefer blondes or brunettes?

Qualification for the analysis is ruled by one simple premise - Bond must have had his wicked way with the lady to be included in the survey.

Of all the multi-film Bond's, Sean Connery's era had the smallest proportion of brunettes - only 50% of the total girls. Connery's 007 took quite a fancy to auburn Bond girls clocking up an impressive one in five.

George Lazenby proves to be an exception to the series trend yet again, the statistics obviously skewed by only appearing once. Both his conquests in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" were auburn - his wife Tracy Bond and the Piz Gloria patient Ruby Bartlett.

Roger Moore's era plays quite true to the overall series trend, although his 007 fails to bed any redheaded beauties in his line of service.

Timothy Dalton's monogamous 007 in "The Living Daylights" stunts his statistics, but thanks to his two conquests in "Licence To Kill" he totals 66% brunette and 33% blonde.

Right: Often the most popular Bond girl of the Roger Moore era - Anya Amasova played by Barbara Bach in "The Spy Who Loved Me" - is in the brunette set which overwhelm the series.

Of all the bond actors, Pierce Brosnan's era is closest to the overall trend from the last 40 years. Averaging 2.5 girls per film, brunettes are clearly the preference with an amazing 70%. Statistics point to three girls in Bond 21 - a brunette, a blonde and a redhead.

Left: Izabella Scorupco, who played Natalya Simonva in "GoldenEye", has changed her hair colour on many occasions since the film - most recently to peroxide blonde.