The world hails the man with the golden franchise

The secret agent with a licence to kill first hit the silver screen in Dr No on October 5, 1962, played by Sean Connery.

Half a century on, tomorrow has been declared Global James Bond Day to mark the golden anniversary of what has become the most successful film franchise of all time.

It coincides with the official release of Adele’s theme song for Skyfall, the 23rd Bond film, which will have its world premiere in London later this month.

The film’s producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be celebrating James Bond’s golden anniversary on film with this special day of events for Bond fans around the world.”

A series of events have been planned for 007 fans across the globe, including a charity auction of Bond memorabilia from the archives of EON Productions.

The Aston Martin DBS used by current Bond Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace is among 10 star lots going under the hammer at London auction house Christie’s tomorrow evening.

The supercar played a dramatic role in the film’s opening sequence, in which Bond skilfully navigates winding roads in a high speed car chase in Italy.

Aston Martins have long been a favourite with Bond and he also drove a DBS in the 2006 instalment, Casino Royale. The classic British car make first appeared in Goldfinger in 1964 with the iconic DB5 and has appeared in 10 of the films altogether.

The two-door coupe is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 for Barnardo’s.

A further 40 lots are being offered through an online auction at www.christies.com/bond until 2pm on Monday.

Auction house director Nicolette Tomkinson said: “Christie’s is excited to be working directly with EON Productions to present this unique auction to mark the 50th anniversary of James Bond.

“With memorabilia offered from every official Bond film ever made, the auction is sure to appeal to new and established fans of the famous British spy.

“James Bond is much-loved by a truly international fan-base and we hope to make memorabilia from the 23 Bond films accessible to all.”

A new feature documentary is also being released to celebrate the anniversary.

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 charts the rise of Bond from the pages of Ian Fleming’s spy novels to Hollywood’s most enduring character.

It will screen in selected Odeon cinemas across the UK from tomorrow.

Worldwide events include a film retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, a Music of Bond night in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an exhibition, Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

When 007 made his screen debut in the low budget adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1958 novel, few could have anticipated he would become the most enduring character in movie history.

Indeed, Mr Fleming himself was said to have been horrified at the casting of working-class Mr Connery as his smooth, well-educated spy – but now he is widely considered to be the definitive screen Bond.

Over the years, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Mr Craig have all followed in his footsteps to deliver the immortal introduction: “Bond, James Bond.”

While the films have evolved to keep up with the changing times, they have kept to the same formula that has continued to delight audiences worldwide – flashy gadgets, elaborate stunts, fearsome villains and beautiful Bond girls.

The theme song has also become an institution, producing such classics as Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger and the Oscar-winning Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney and his post-Beatles band, Wings. A compilation album, The Best of Bond... James Bond, featuring 50 tracks from the last 22 films, is released on Monday to celebrate the 50th anniversary and will be available to pre-order from tomorrow.

Adele’s Skyfall theme song will be premiered on her official website at 0.07am on Friday and will be available to download immediately after.

The Grammy and Brit award-winning soul singer has said she was initially hesitant about recording the song but the decision ended up being a “no-brainer”.

She said: “When we recorded the strings it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I’ll be backcombing my hair when I’m 60, telling people I was a Bond girl back in the day, I’m sure.”