James Bond remains a powerful recruitment tool for MI6, a secret intelligence expert says – despite claims that he is unrealistically posh and violent.
“It is a great recruitment sergeant as well – although a lot of people who want to become James Bond get weeded out very early, as they are psychopaths.”
“They like the image it creates, as Bond is linked to British omnipotence and omniscience,” he told an audience at the Hay festival.
Dr Rory Cormac, associate professor of international relations with a specialty in secret intelligence at Nottingham university, said MI6 loved the positive brand provided by Ian Fleming’s fictional spy.