| Q | |
|---|---|
| James Bond character | |
| First appearance | Casino Royale (1953)[a] Dr. No (1958)[b] |
| Portrayed by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Major Boothroyd |
| Occupation | Quartermaster |
| Affiliation | MI6 |
Q is a character in theJames Bond films and novelisations. Q is the head ofQ Branch (laterQ Division), the fictionalresearch and development division of theBritish Secret Service charged with oversight of top secret field technologies.
Q (standing forquartermaster), likeM, is a job title rather than a name. The use of letters aspseudonyms for senior officers in the British Secret Service was started by its first director, Captain SirMansfield George Smith-Cumming (1859–1923), who signed himself with a C written in green ink.[1]
Q has appeared in 22 of the 25Eon Productions James Bond films, the exceptions beingLive and Let Die (1973),Casino Royale (2006) andQuantum of Solace (2008). Q also featured in both non-Eon Bond films,Casino Royale (1967) andNever Say Never Again (1983). Between 1963 and 1999, Q was portrayed in the Eon films byDesmond Llewelyn until his death in late 1999. His successor, initially given the joking nickname of “R“ by Bond, was played byJohn Cleese. In the Daniel Craig films, which rebooted the continuity to some extent, Q was played byBen Whishaw, but it is unclear whether he is meant to be Major Boothroyd or a new character.
The character Q never appears in the novels by the authorIan Fleming, where Q and the Q Branch are only mentioned;[2] however, Q does appear in the novelisations byChristopher Wood as well as the later novels byJohn Gardner andRaymond Benson, who adopted Eon's decision to combine the character withMajor Boothroyd, the armourer fromDr. No.
In John Gardner's novels, the post of Q is taken over by Ann Reilly (called Q'ute by her colleagues). She also forms a relationship withJames Bond. It is supposed that she held the post for a short while only, because Raymond Benson's novels return Boothroyd to the post without explanation.Jeffrey Deaver'sCarte Blanche introduces the character Sanu Hirani, who is referred to as 'Q' in that novel.
Charles Fraser-Smith is widely credited as the inspiration for Q[3] due to the spy gadgets he built for theSpecial Operations Executive. These were called Q-devices, after theRoyal Navy'sWorld War IQ-ships. In the Fleming novels there are frequent references to Q and Q Branch with phrases like "see Q for any equipment you need" (Casino Royale) and "Q Branch would handle all of that" (Diamonds Are Forever), with a reference to "Q's craftsmen" inFrom Russia, with Love.
In the sixth novel,Dr. No, the servicearmourer Major Boothroyd appears for the first time. Fleming named the character afterGeoffrey Boothroyd, a firearms expert who lived inGlasgow,[4] who had written to the novelist suggesting that Bond was not using the best firearms available.
Boothroyd is also referenced occasionally in the Bond novels of John Gardner, but the author preferred instead to focus on a new character, Ann Reilly, who is introduced in the first Gardner novel,Licence Renewed, and promptly dubbed "Q'ute" by Bond.
Q is a quantum computer in theDouble 00 Trilogy by Kim Sherwood.[5]
Major Boothroyd appears inDr. No played byPeter Burton and in the script ofFrom Russia with Love.Desmond Llewelyn stated that, although he was credited as playing "Major Boothroyd" in the latter film, his name as said byM (Bernard Lee) was replaced with "the equipment officer", as directorTerence Young stated that Boothroyd was a different character.[6]
Beginning inGuy Hamilton'sGoldfinger and in each film thereafter Major Boothroyd is most often referred to as Q; however, inThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977) he is referred to once again as Major Boothroyd in dialogue.[7][8]
In most films in which Q appears, he is restricted to a "behind the scenes" involvement, either based in London or in secret bases out in the field. Two notable exceptions in which Q becomes directly involved in Bond's missions occur inOctopussy, in which Q actually participates in field work—including the final battle against the villain Kamal Khan (Louis Jordan)'s henchmen—andLicence to Kill in which he joins Bond (Timothy Dalton) in the field after 007 goes rogue.
In the first film,Dr. No, Boothroyd is played by Peter Burton in only one scene, in which he replaces Bond (Sean Connery)'s .25 ACPBeretta 418 (on-screen portrayed by a .32 Beretta 35) pistol with the signature .32Walther PPK handgun. He is referred to by M as "the armourer," and later as Major Boothroyd. Scheduling conflicts prevented Burton from reprising the role inFrom Russia with Love, although he made two later uncredited appearances in Bond films, first as an RAF officer inThunderball (1965) and later as a secret agent in the satiricalCasino Royale (1967).[9]
Beginning withFrom Russia with Love, Desmond Llewelyn portrayed the character in every official film exceptLive and Let Die until his death in 1999. In the 1977 filmThe Spy Who Loved Me, as Q delivered the submersibleLotus, MajorAnya Amasova / Agent XXX (Barbara Bach) greets Q as "Major Boothroyd".
Starting withGoldfinger, the notion that Bond and Q would have an often strained relationship with each other was introduced by Guy Hamilton; it continued in the series thereafter. While briefing Bond on the gadgets that he is going to use on his mission, Q often expresses irritation and impatience at Bond's short attention span, often telling him to "pay attention, 007", and Bond's playful lack of respect for his equipment, telling the agent, "Inever joke about my work, 007". InThunderball, Bond can be heard muttering "Oh no" when Q joins him in theBahamas. Arunning gag appeared in later films where Q's prized gadget would be destroyed in a mishap often caused by necessity or Bond's recklessness – examples include theGlastron jet boat inMoonraker when Bond (Roger Moore) sends it over theIguazu Falls to escape pursuit byJaws (Richard Kiel), theAston Martin Vantage inThe Living Daylights when Bond (Timothy Dalton) is forced to prime its self-destruct device in order to evade the Czech police forces, and theBMW Z8 inThe World Is Not Enough – which is cut in half by a helicopter buzz-saw.
However, on occasion, Q has shown a warm and fatherly concern for 007's welfare, such as at Bond (George Lazenby)'s wedding toTracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) inOn Her Majesty's Secret Service, when he assures Bond that he is available if Bond ever requires his help. Q has also assisted Bond in a more active role in his missions inOctopussy, remaining to aid Bond in person even after another ally Vijay (Vijay Amritaj) is killed, andLicence to Kill saw him travel to assist Bond while he is officially on leave from MI6 even after Bond has resigned from MI6 to pursue his own vendetta. He frequently refers to Bond as "007", rather than by his name. InGoldenEye, Q shares a joke with Bond (Pierce Brosnan) for the first time, and inThe World Is Not Enough Bond is saddened at the prospect of Q's impending retirement. Q signs off with "Now pay attention, 007," and then offers some words of advice:
Q: "I've always tried to teach you two things: First, never let them see you bleed."
Bond: "And the second?"
Q: "Always have an escape plan." – before he is lowered out of view.
This was the final film appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q in the James Bond series, although he would revive the role once again as Q in aHeineken commercial, a TV cross-promotion forThe World Is Not Enough. Llewelyn died in a car crash just weeks after the film's release. Between films he also starred as Q in various commercials for a diversity of products and companies. These included Bond collectable merchandise,Hyundai motorcars,LG video recorders,Highland Superstores,Visa credit cards, andReach electric toothbrushes, the latter of which featured Q briefing himself in the mirror.
Featured in
Films:
Video games:
Llewelyn also portrays Q in the Eon Productions-produced 1967 TV specialWelcome to Japan, Mr. Bond, as well as portraying Q in the documentaryHighly Classified: The World of 007, which is included on theTomorrow Never Dies Ultimate Edition DVD. Llewelyn's likeness was also used to portray the Q character in 2005's video gameJames Bond 007: From Russia with Love, though the voice of Q was portrayed byPhil Proctor. Llewelyn has appeared in more Bond films — seventeen — than any other actor to date.
InThe World Is Not Enough an assistant to Q was introduced, played byJohn Cleese. His real name was never revealed, but he was initially credited as "R" inThe World Is Not Enough, stemming from a joke in which Bond asks the elder Q, "If you're Q, does that make him R?"
Between films, Cleese was still referred to as "R" in thevideo games007: The World is Not Enough (2000),007 Racing (2000) andAgent Under Fire (2001). He was officially referred to as "Q" inDie Another Day (2002) following Llewelyn's death in 1999. In 2004, Cleese was featured as Q in the video gameJames Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.[10]
Much like his predecessor, R is a consummate professional who is frequently annoyed by Bond's cavalier attitude. InDie Another Day, Bond at first refers to R as "Quartermaster" but, silently impressed by the gadgets he is given, calls him "Q" at the end of their meeting. (TheDie Another Day DVD reveals that Bond initially saw R as an 'interloper', only awarding the proper title of 'Q' after R has proven himself.)
According to an interview on theDie Another Day DVD, Pierce Brosnan was very glad to rename Cleese's character 'Q', rather than 'R', because his native Irish accent made it difficult to pronounce 'R' with a convincing English accent.
In the 007 video game,James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Cleese's Q has an assistant, Miss Nagai, portrayed byMisaki Ito.
Featured in
Films:
Video games;
The character of Q did not appear in 2006'sCasino Royale or its sequel,Quantum of Solace (2008).Bond actorDaniel Craig expressed concern over the character's absence, and expressed his hope that Q would return inSkyfall.[11] In November 2011, it was announced that British actorBen Whishaw had been cast in the role.[12] Bond first meets Q in front of the paintingThe Fighting Temeraire at theNational Gallery inLondon, where he at first expresses disbelief at the relative youth of his new quartermaster, but the two quickly earn each other's respect. InSkyfall, Q's gadgets were comparatively simple, consisting of a miniaturized radio and a gun coded to Bond's palmprint so only Bond can fire it. When Bond appears disappointed, Q says, "Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't really go in for that anymore," in reference to a miniature grenade featured inGoldenEye. Q is demonstrated to be highly knowledgeable on the subject of computer security to the point where he designed some of the most sophisticated security protocols in existence. As with Llewelyn's Q, he also gets frustrated with Bond's knack for damaging or destroying the gadgets – at the end ofSkyfall theAston Martin DB5 is burned out in the final showdown withRaoul Silva (Javier Bardem).
InSpectre, Q injects Bond with "smart blood" which will allow MI6 to track him at all times. He then shows off anAston Martin DB10 to Bond only to disappoint him by revealing it was reassigned to 009. He provides Bond with a new watch, while hinting the alarm is "rather loud" (eventually revealed to be explosive in the film's climax). He also oversees the restoration of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 after the events ofSkyfall. Bond asks Q to help him disappear during his downtime; despite initial reluctance, Q agrees and helps Bond. Bond later steals (and ultimately destroys) the DB10, much to Q's dismay, although he still covers for him when M (Ralph Fiennes) asks Q where Bond has gone. Similar to Q's assistance to Bond in 1989'sLicence to Kill, Q travels to Austria to help him in the field independent of MI6. While there, he outrunsSPECTRE agents after a ring he eventually decodes, revealing the organisation's existence. Q returns to London to assistEve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and M in foiling corrupt MI6 bureaucrat Max Denbeigh (Andrew Scott)'s launch of theNine Eyes intelligence network. At the end he provides Bond with his remodeled Aston Martin DB5.
InNo Time to Die, it is implied that Q isgay when Bond and Moneypenny interrupt him preparing a romantic dinner for another man.[13][14] He provides Bond and00 agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch) with a watch that generates an electromagnetic pulse and a portable radar mapping device, and instructs them on how to operate the "stealthy bird", a small submersible jet aircraft, before they infiltrate villain Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek)'s hideout. Q keeps in contact with Bond during the mission, and patches him through to his love interestMadeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) after he decides to sacrifice his life to keep Swann and their daughter Mathilde safe. Q later joins M, Moneypenny, Nomi, andBill Tanner (Rory Kinnear) in a toast to Bond's memory at the end of the film.
Featured in
In the 1967 version ofCasino Royale, Q is portrayed byGeoffrey Bayldon, but instead of outfitting James Bond, he provides gadgets forEvelyn Tremble (who is portrayed byPeter Sellers). In the film, Q is assisted by Fordyce (John Wells). The sequence parodies the regular series' outfitting, and features Q presenting Tremble with an elaboratebullet-proof vest, laden with preposterous features ("aBeretta in the buttonhole, and a cute little mini-gun in the gusset").
Featured in
In the 1983 filmNever Say Never Again, Bond received his gadgets from a man (played byAlec McCowen) he referred to as Algernon and Algy. His opening line is "Nice to know old Q can still surprise you 00s". In sharp contrast to the personality of Q in Eon film series, Algy hopes to hear about "lots of sex and violence" from James Bond following his mission. In the closing credits, he is named as "Q" Algy. Q Branch itself is depicted as underfunded and ramshackle compared to the high-tech surroundings of the Eon films.
Featured in
The real MI6's head of technology is one of the agency's four directors-general, reporting directly toChief of the Secret Intelligence Service. While the Chief of SIS is called "C" and not "M", the head of technology is named "Q" after the Bond character, and the department's ethos is known as "Q culture".[15]
Aston Martin refers to their in-house customisation service for the most demanding clients as "Q Branch" in reference to James Bonds iconic connection to the brand.
In June 2025, it was announced thatBlaise Metreweli, currently the real-life Director-General of Technology and Innovation ("Q") at MI6, will become the Chief of the SIS ("C") in autumn 2025. She will become the first female head of the service.[16]
In Sherwood's novel, Q is a quantum computer that sifts through terabytes of sensor data to anticipate the bad guys' next moves.