This past weekend James Bond hit the small screen once again in Sean Connery‘s second 007 film From Russia With Love on ITV. The movie was originally released in 1963, just a year after the first-ever live-action Bond movie – 1962’s Dr No.

It took until the end of this second film for Ian Fleming to approve of the star, however.

Fleming, the author of the Bond novels, was involved in the 007 movies but did not have a huge say in how they were made.

He originally called for a number of high-profile Hollywood stars to play the Eton-educated Bond in the film adaptations.

Included in this list were names such as Cary Grant. Unfortunately for Fleming, the North by Northwest star was “too expensive”.

So Bond boss Cubby Broccoli settled on Connery instead. And Fleming was furious.

Fleming was not happy with Connery playing 007 in the film adaptation of his novels.

In fact, he was very angry about a “working-class Scot” playing his purely British secret agent.

The pair did not like one another. But they didn’t meet until the production of Dr No, where Fleming insulted Connery.

Connery recalled: “I never got introduced to Fleming until I was well into the movie, but I know he was not that happy with me as a choice.”

He even insulted the star’s acting abilities.

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Fleming made amends with Connery over the insults he had used on the star in the past.

From then on, Fleming was completely won over by Connery’s version of Bond. And because of this, he added Scottish ancestry to James Bond’s fictional heritage in every book going forward.

This homage to Connery still remains in Bond’s story to this day.

It was most recently seen in Daniel Craig’s Bond movie Skyfall.

In Skyfall Bond visited his family home in Scotland to protect M from assassins.

Connery later looked back fondly on his relationship with Fleming.

He remembered: “His company was very good for a limited time for me.”

The James Bond films are available to rent on Amazon Prime Video now.

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