NBC Interview with Raymond Benson

Her Majesty's Secret Servant / Summer 1997

THE RAYMOND BENSON TV INTERVIEW

How many Bond fanatics get the chance to combine their passion and love for
the character with what they do for a living?
Recently I got the unique chance to write and talk about James Bond for the television station at which I work. It all started with a phone call from Ian Fleming Foundation Vice-President Doug Redenius, asking if there was a chance I could, in my capacity as a television anchor/reporter at the NBC-TV affiliate in Peoria Illinois, give some publicity for Raymond Benson's "Zero Minus Ten."
It didn't take long to get me moving on this project. I helped secure a book signing at the local Barnes and Noble and then pitched the idea of a profile of Raymond to my bosses. They bought into it like it was a chance to get their hands on a lektor decoding machine!
Raymond arrived at Barnes at Noble in Peoria on Saturday May 31st. The idea of Raymond arriving in a limo wearing a tux was nixed, however the store manager did outfit his staff in tuxes. There wasn't a crowd waiting, but Raymond did sign a fair amount of books. Prior to that we rolled out camera for the interview.
Back at the station I spent the good portion of that night and next day combining the interview with my voice track and snips of video from the Bond films. All of this is put into a computer and then edited down to a two-minute piece for airing.
I want thank Raymond Benson for his time and wilingness to subject himself to yet another interview. Mine is the only television publicity Raymond has received, and for that I am proud. What follows is the transcript of the audio portion of the profile that was aired on our newscast Sunday June 1st. It may give you an idea of the incredbile amount of editing and work that goes into taking a sometime lengthy topic and boiling it down for TV news.
( Fraser Engerman is a reporter/weekend anchor for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois. He can be e-mailed at FraserE@aol.com)

June 1, 1997

The career of the world's most popular fictional secret agent died over thirty years ago. But the death of Ian Fleming did not mean the end of James Bond. Agent 007 still survives in movies, and on the printed page. The man who has been given the license to pen the James Bond stories into the next century was in Peoria this weekend, with his first novel.

His name is Benson. Raymond Benson.

Benson: "I have a little rock from Goldeneye, a special place in Jamaica, that I hold for good luck."

NBC: Benson says he likes his martinis "shaken, not stirred", but that's about all he has in common with James Bond. He has even less in common with Bond s creator, Ian Fleming. Raymond Benson is a computer game designer from suburban Chicago. Fleming was a spy, journalist, womanizer, and very British.

Benson: "That was a concern because when it was first announced that I was taking over the role of the writer, there were a few publications in England that did raise some eyebrows. But mostly the response out of England has been more than favorable."

NBC: Benson was chosen by the estate of Fleming to pen "Zero Minus Ten". Mainly because of his first book, "The James Bond Bedside Companion". Published in the early 1980's, it is considered to be the definitive look at 007, both in the books and the films.

Benson: "Bond in the books is a more serious, ruthless, cold person He's not the witty guy you see most of the time in the films."

NBC: Benson acknowledges the pressure to follow in Fleming's footsteps, is great. He likens it to George Lazenby, taking over the cinematic role of Bond, after the retirement of Sean Connery. Lazenby only did one Bond film.

Benson: "My first, primary goal, was to please the Bond fans. If I could please them first, and then, hopefully, the general public would tag along, then that would be great.

NBC: Judging by reaction so far, Benson should have nothing to worry about. "Zero Minus Ten", which finds Bond in Hong Kong trying to avert World War III, has already sold out in Great Britain.

Benson: "James Bond to me was a childhood hero."

NBC: Benson shares with us he is already working on his second Bond novel, which will be set in Greece, Cyprus, and Texas.