A fan letter from pistol expert Geoffrey Boothroyd to Ian Fleming was the start of an exchange that would see James Bond forfeiting his precious Beretta in favour of something a little more robust. The BBC broadcast a short film about the subject titled 'The Guns of James Bond' back in 1964 as part of their regular Time Out programme.
Click here to watch the full video via BBC iPlayer.
Boothroyd guides the viewer through the firepower options available to the jobbing secret agent, explains why the Beretta, a 'ladies' pistol', had to go and illustrates why its replacement, the Walther PPK, was a much more suitable choice for Fleming's Bond.
