Doctor Who: 10 Huge Questions After Spyfall Part One
5. How Many James Bond References Could We Spot?
It was hardly a pastiche of that great British institution
James Bond, with influences from The X Files, Stranger Things and The Avengers
thrown into the mix too. This wasn’t Doctor Who does Spy Thriller in the same
way that Doctor Mysterio was Doctor Who does superhero movie. The Doctor could
hardly be an effective Bond, with the womanising, gambling and violence that
are so much a part of the character.
Indeed this was in places what Spaceballs was to Star Wars, such as when the Doctor mistakes poker for snap, or the visual comedy of the TARDIS poorly concealed in the field outside Daniel Barton’s home. But there is also a tongue-in-cheek element to many of the Bond movies and that spirit shines through in Spyfall.
The musical cues, especially when the Doctor and co dress for the party, are wonderful nods to John Barry’s classic Bond scores, and many of the requisite elements are there – the globetrotting, the car chases, the assassinations and the gadgets. It’s a wonder neither Graham, Yaz nor Ryan made specific James Bond jokes about their situation.