DOES being a scientist help or hinder your enjoyment of the Bond books and films?
It doesn't make them less enjoyable. It would be like getting annoyed that Superman can fly when gravity means he can't.
The films are entertainment. If I didn't enjoy them I couldn't have spent hours watching them over and over for this book. Having a science background just helped me question some of the plausibility of what I saw on screen and read in the books.
Sometimes what I thought was ridiculous turned out to be closer to the truth than I imagined. Any picking apart of the plots and the scientific detail is all done with my tongue firmly in my cheek.
Bond creator Ian Fleming famously had a British Intelligence background – did he ever have access to real life Bond-esque gadgetry?
Fleming knew many people involved in developing real gadgets for wartime use. As an avid golfer, he was particularly fascinated by how some golf balls had been hollowed out to hide messages and maps and then sent to prisoners of war. It was an idea he adapted for his novel Diamonds Are Forever to smuggle diamonds.
Fleming had his own gadget, a special pen that had been adapted to carry a cartridge of tear gas, according to what he told his friends during the war. Apparently, the tear gas cartridge could be swapped for one containing cyanide 'for really dangerous missions'. But, Fleming's privileged position at the heart of secret operations, plus his heavy smoking and drinking, ruled him out of ever actually taking part in dangerous missions.
Is there any Bond tech that was pure science fiction at time of writing/filming which actually anticipated real future technological innovations?
The 'rebreather' in Thunderball that helps Bond breathe underwater for a few extra minutes while he evades harpoon-wielding henchmen, was completely made-up. The props department simply glued two soda siphon capsules together and told the actors to hold their breath. Now, there are devices that can extract oxygen from the surrounding water, a little like fish's gills, so a diver can breathe underwater. It doesn't look like the prop from the film, and it works differently, but it is definitely the same idea.
What is your favourite bit of Bond-related gadgetry or tech and why?
I like the simplicity of Rosa Klebb's knife shoe and the grandiose absurdity of the giant diamond-studded space laser, but I think my favourite is Goldfinger's laser. It is perhaps the most iconic scene from the whole franchise and it started the, now cliched, trope of villains attaching lasers to everything and anything.
At the time it was brilliant and new, but the technology was not powerful enough to cut through metal – or 007. Now, of course, there are lasers that do cut metal and are used in surgery, but diamond space lasers are still a little way off.
A few years ago Elon Musk purchased one of the Wet Nellie Lotus Esprit props from The Spy Who Loved Me and said he intended to convert it into a fully functional road car (electric powered, naturally) that can actually transform into a submersible vehicle. Do you fancy his chances?
I think it will be a challenge. You will need a lot of kit inside that car to do the transforming, drive the sub and the car, maintain boyancy and an air supply (though you could probably leave out the missiles to keep it legal and to give you more space).
I really hope someone can figure out how to cram all that technology inside a Lotus and keep it watertight.
Poisons crop up regularly in the Bond universe. Are their uses and effects portrayed realistically?
It varies a lot, even with the same poison. Cyanide crops up quite often, for example, and, depending on the film, it can kill in seconds with no obvious damage to the body, or it can leave you disfigured but alive as we see in Skyfall.
Poisoning in real life is rarely as quick or as sanitised as portrayed on screen. Speeding things up is understandable for a fast-paced action film, and I think most audience members will be grateful to film-makers for editing out the vomiting, convulsions and other unpleasant effects some of these toxic compounds can have.
If there are any future Bond villains reading, which make the most effective 'henchcreatures': sharks, piranhas or crocodiles?
Sharks make poor pets and aren't particularly partial to the taste of henchmen or secret agents. Piranhas will ignore anyone splashing about in their pond if they are well fed – you need to be sparing with how often you trigger the trapdoor to drop someone in there to dispose of them.
Crocodiles can go months without eating, and do see humans as potential food. But they aren't easy to train and you could have problems convincing them to eat only people you want rid of and not useful members of staff, or yourself.
Personally, I'd stick with the cat.
From a scientific standpoint, which makes the best location for a Bond villain's lair: outer space, the middle of the ocean or inside a volcano?
I think space or undersea are the best options. People do live in space on the International Space Station, though it isn't as glamorous as Drax's lair from Moonraker. There are also underwater hotels, restaurants and research stations, though not as deep as Stromberg's Atlantis [The Spy Who Loved Me].
The one to avoid is the volcano. It's very impressive, but if you are counting on triggering an eruption to make your escape when Bond and a few dozen ninjas abseil through your roof, you need an active volcano. Inside an active volcano will be hot, full of toxic and corrosive gases that will make breathing difficult and rust up your shiny monorail in no time.
Is there any scientific basis for why Bond might prefer his vodka Martinis "shaken, not stirred"?
I've heard many theories about how the different methods cool the liquids more or less efficiently, and about blending impurities, or bruising other components of the drink. I think it tastes awful whichever way you prepare it.
Finally, Kathryn Harkup will return in... ?
It's a top secret mission. I couldn't possibly divulge...
Kathryn Harkup – Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond, Saturday February 18, Bishop's Gate Hotel, Derry and Sunday February 19, The Black Box, Belfast. Tickets via nisciencefestival.com. Visit Kathryn online at Harkup.co.uk
