FROM Prime Video and the producers behind the Bond movies comes 007: Road To A Million, in which nine teams set off on an epic adventure through a series of James Bond-inspired challenges.
Comprised of 18 ordinary people working in pairs, the teams must attempt to find 10 questions hidden in various locations around the world for a shot at winning a life-changing £1,000,000 prize.
Brian Cox plays The Controller, the mastermind behind the game who dictates where the pairs go and sets the questions – questions which can only be answered if they successfully complete his gut-wrenching, Bond-inspired challenges, which will push their physical strength and mental reserves to the limit.
Each question is worth an increasing amount of money. If answered correctly, they bank the cash and continue to the next question: get it wrong, and their journey is over.
From the wilds of the Scottish Highlands and the remote Chilean desert, to the bustling streets of Venice and the luxurious Caribbean coastline of Jamaica, The Controller will be watching their every move, revelling as his often merciless and punishing plans unfold in front of him.
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We quizzed Brian Cox about his role in the show, and put a few questions to the Bond folks themselves, EON Productions, about how the series was created...
BRIAN COX: THE CONTROLLER
Why did you say 'yes' to this job?
I'm always up for a new adventure. That's how you keep young when you get to my age, by not ruling anything out. You just go, "Okay, I'll see what happens." And I really enjoyed it.
The guys who made the programme [72 Films] were very efficient, I was very impressed with them, and they made my job easier by being so organised which is always good. It was fascinating to watch the contestants, and it was just fun.
I don't know if 'risk' is quite the right word, but certainly, it's unusual territory for me. It's very hard when you go from a show like Succession and try to work out what you're going to do next: it's what I would call bobbing and weaving. But now I can finally say I've been in a Bond production.
I've never been in a Bond movie, and I always thought I'd be a very good Bond villain, but nobody's ever come up with the offer, so at least by doing this I'm doing it somehow.
Having played one of the most misunderstood men in television history, it was a no-brainer to be a Bond villain of sorts.
Who is your favourite Bond?
It has to be Sean Connery, as a fellow Scot. I always thought it was so ironic that Sean 'short of talksh like thish' and he doesn't sound like he's from Gordonstoun. The real James Bond would have been frightfully, frightfully posh, not like Sean at all. So that was wonderful to see.
I was extremely proud that another Scot had fooled everybody to such distraction that they cast him in a wonderful lead role, and he brought something unique to it.
But then I also had a lot of respect for Roger Moore, because he was a proper actor and I think people underestimated him, but he was so witty. He was genuinely so funny as Bond because he never took it too seriously.
And of course, because he was so English, you had that wonderful English sensibility that Bond relies on. I absolutely loved Roger.
They're polar opposites in a way, but I think they were both very hard acts to follow.
What did you think of the casting of the contestants on 007: Road To A Million?
The casting of the contestants is very important because they've got to be the show. The more
idiosyncratic they are, of course, it creates a lot of fun. That will be the strength of the show. There are other shows, of course, with fantastic casting, but what's different about this is the Bond theme and those two aspects alongside each other mean it will work very strongly.
How do you think you would have coped as a contestant?
Probably dreadfully. Well, I might be okay on some of the general knowledge parts, but I definitely think I'd fall at the hurdle of the physical challenges. Anything involving helicopter shots would be out.
EON PRODUCTIONS: BARBARA BROCCOLI, GREGG WILSON AND MICHAEL G WILSON
Why was the idea for 007: Road To A Million 'right' for Bond?
Barbara Broccoli: The ambition for this show was to make a spectacle on par with the legacy of the Bond franchise. We've meticulously chosen iconic Bond locations for filming and integrated elements from some of the franchise's most memorable scenes.
Gregg Wilson: 007: Road To A Million is an audacious blend of adventure, intelligence and glamour, which is an intrinsic fit for us.
The show doesn't just offer a thrill ride; it provides real people the opportunity to tap into their own resourcefulness, wit, and daring in high-stakes situations – qualities that are quintessential to Bond.
We love the idea of giving a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to the people who make up our audience. Moreover, we wanted to craft a series with the high production values that audiences have come to expect from Bond films.
What do you think about Brian Cox's involvement?
Michael G Wilson: Brian Cox is the ideal puppet-master for our contestants. As The Controller, he orchestrates the series' challenges while enjoying watching the contestants squirm.
Will 007: Road To A Million appeal even to viewers who aren't Bond fans?
Barbara Broccoli: This series is designed to appeal to everyone, whether or not they're aficionados of the Bond universe. It's an adventure in stunning locations with genuine human emotion.
While Bond fans will enjoy the nuanced references and Easter eggs scattered throughout the series, the uninitiated will find an equally engaging narrative that celebrates universal qualities such as ingenuity, resilience and camaraderie.
007: Road To A Million is available on Prime Video now.
