#goals (i of course mean the shoe influencer, not Netflix)
1 Like
For my European friends: which is it worse to be a non-royal or a non-worker? I can understand that the combination must be devastating.
3 Likes
As a non-royal I would have money but work or not work would be definitely less strenuous.
As a worker I would have not enough money and be subject to injury, job loss and mind-killing tasks.
Hmmm. But royals do have some weird shit going on, so…
3 Likes
Two main differences if you are not a Royal:
-as a kid you are not dragged in front of the public when your mother dies in a car crash caused by a paparazzi chase, and
-as a senior you are not pimped out to some disgusting troll to keep in the good books of the slobbering creature.
There are of course a number of minor differences, bank account balances, the degree of public property a Royal is considered to be, the likelihood Netflix minces your ancestry into some Barbour soap so on so forth.
3 Likes
Just one round left for Story, the form table after the Semi-Finals stands as:
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | From Russia with Love | 93.65 | (+0.07) | +1 |
| 2 | OHMSS | 88.67 | (-4.98) | -1 |
| 3 | Casino Royale | 83.6 | (-7.07) | - |
| 4 | The Spy who Loved Me | 66.27 | ||
| 5 | Skyfall | 61.97 | (-) | +1 |
| 6 | Goldfinger | 57.54 | (-8.61) | -1 |
| 7 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 53.34 | ||
| 8 | GoldenEye | 52.04 | ||
| 9 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.5 | ||
| 10 | Thunderball | 51.12 | ||
| 11 | Licence to Kill | 51.1 | ||
| 12 | Moonraker | 47.3 | ||
| 13 | Live and Let Die | 40.92 | ||
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 40.2 | ||
| 15 | No Time to Die | 40 | ||
| 16 | Dr No | 40 | ||
| 17 | YOLT | 37.5 | ||
| 18 | Octopussy | 33.35 | ||
| 19 | DAF | 32.18 | ||
| 20 | QoSolace | 28.1 | ||
| 21 | TWINE | 27.95 | ||
| 22 | AVTAK | 26.45 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 19.45 | ||
| 24 | Spectre | 18.05 | ||
| 25 | DAD | 12.5 |
With a context appropriate rise in its percentage form, From Russia with Love reclaims top spot, but with the top two slugging it out in the final round, can that hold? Depending on how the 3rd place death-off plays out, Goldfinger could drop below a Brosnan. Or two. Hmm.
MY GOD IT IS SO TENSE THAT I HAVE EMITTED HOT TOFFEE ONCE MORE.
6 Likes
With the new category of Story now complete, overall positions and usual round-up to hurt your head.
Knockout outcomes - Story
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| W | From Russia with Love |
| 2 | OHMSS |
| 3 | Casino Royale |
| 4 | Goldfinger |
Knockout outcomes per category to date - 2026
| Villain | Music | Action & Stunts | Bond | Woman | Hench | Story | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Moonraker | OHMSS | TSWLM | From Russia with Love | OHMSS | From Russia with Love | From Russia with Love |
| Runner-Up | Skyfall | Live and Let Die | Casino Royale | TSWLM | Casino Royale | Goldfinger | OHMSS |
| 3rd | Goldfinger | Thunderball | OHMSS | Goldfinger | Goldfinger | TSWLM | Casino Royale |
| 4th | From Russia with Love | Moonraker | Thunderball | Casino Royale | TSWLM | Diamonds are Forever | Goldfinger |
2026 was the first year of the Story category, but looking at this year’s trend, some familiar names in there. Maybe they should only have made about 10 of these things.
Final Form Table - Story
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | From Russia with Love | 90.28 | (-3.37) | - |
| 2 | Casino Royale | 83.28 | (-0.32) | +1 |
| 3 | OHMSS | 81.75 | (-6.92) | -1 |
| 4 | The Spy who Loved Me | 66.27 | ||
| 5 | Skyfall | 61.97 | ||
| 6 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 53.34 | (-) | +1 |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 52.73 | (-4.81) | -1 |
| 8 | GoldenEye | 52.04 | ||
| 9 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.5 | ||
| 10 | Thunderball | 51.12 | ||
| 11 | Licence to Kill | 51.1 | ||
| 12 | Moonraker | 47.3 | ||
| 13 | Live and Let Die | 40.92 | ||
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 40.2 | ||
| 15 | No Time to Die | 40 | ||
| 16 | Dr No | 40 | ||
| 17 | YOLT | 37.5 | ||
| 18 | Octopussy | 33.35 | ||
| 19 | DAF | 32.18 | ||
| 20 | QoSolace | 28.1 | ||
| 21 | TWINE | 27.95 | ||
| 22 | AVTAK | 26.45 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 19.45 | ||
| 24 | Spectre | 18.05 | ||
| 25 | DAD | 12.5 |
A weirdly-voiced maniac wants to set off a weapon to destroy a major economy. His female sidekick has a lewd name and there’s an Aston Martin DB5 in it. One of these films is GoldenEye. The other is Goldfinger. Apparently one of their stories is better than the other. Just.
Two Brosnans in a Top Ten; that’s new. Interesting that early favourite OHMSS dropped off quite a bit but that may just be luck of the draw.
Most Valuable Player
| Placings | Wins | Top Tens | Top Form | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRWL | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 15 |
| OHMSS | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| Goldfinger | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| TSWLM | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| CRoyale | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Moonraker | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Thunderball | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Skyfall | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| LALD | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| DAF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
A clean sweep of both knockout and form by From Russia with Love sees it rise to the top. Moonraker might be out of this World, but I fear it may be out of this ranking too - seems to have recently stagnated. But I have been wrong before. Usually about Moonraker.
Top Ten of Everything to Date
| 6 visits to Top Ten | 5 visits to Top Ten | 4 visits to Top Ten | 3 visits to Top Ten | 2 visits to Top Ten | 1 visit to Top Ten | Yet to bother the scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRWL | Moonraker | LTK | FYEO | Dr No | YOLT | TMwtGG |
| Goldfinger | Skyfall | TLD | DAF | AVTAK | Octopussy | |
| Thunderball | TND | LALD | QoSolace | TWINE | ||
| OHMSS | GoldenEye | Spectre | DAD | |||
| TSWLM | No Time to Die | |||||
| CRoyale | ||||||
Last year, Tomorrow Never Dies never managed to haul itself out of the Zero Pit, so definitely something there and perhaps the new categories have played to its advanatge, having done pretty well in both. This year’s massive underachiever so far - No Time to Die.
Seeds and Pots 2027
| 2025 | 2026 | Average form | Seed/Pot 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr No | 15 | 16 | 15.5 | Pot 2 |
| FRWL | 7 | 1 | 4 | Seed 3 |
| Goldfinger | 1 | 7 | 4 | Seed 5 |
| Thunderball | 4 | 10 | 7 | Seed 6 |
| YOLT | 8 | 17 | 12.5 | Pot 1 |
| OHMSS | 3 | 3 | 3 | Seed 1 |
| DAF | 9 | 19 | 14 | Pot 2 |
| LALD | 11 | 13 | 12 | Pot 1 |
| TMwtGGun | 22 | 23 | 22.5 | Pot 3 |
| TSWLM | 2 | 4 | 3 | Seed 2 |
| Moonraker | 5 | 12 | 8.5 | Seed 8 |
| FYEO | 13 | 9 | 11 | Seed 9 |
| Octopussy | 17 | 18 | 17.5 | Pot 2 |
| AVTAK | 19 | 22 | 20.5 | Pot 2 |
| TLD | 14 | 14 | 14 | Pot 1 |
| LTK | 20 | 11 | 15.5 | Pot 2 |
| GoldenEye | 16 | 8 | 12 | Pot 1 |
| TND | 18 | 6 | 12 | Seed 10 |
| TWINE | 24 | 21 | 22.5 | Pot 3 |
| DAD | 25 | 25 | 25 | Pot 3 |
| C Royale | 6 | 2 | 4 | Seed 4 |
| QoS | 23 | 20 | 21.5 | Pot 3 |
| Skyfall | 10 | 5 | 7.5 | Seed 7 |
| Spectre | 21 | 24 | 22.5 | Pot 3 |
| NTTD | 12 | 15 | 13.5 | Pot 1 |
The 2025 score is where they finished overall in The Final Reckoning, this being a new category. As a result, quite a lot of deviation from that standard, although there are some rather remarkable consistencies too. Might take another year for this to settle completely.
Bonus Points
| Film | Bonus Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licence to Kill | 52 |
| 2 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 51 |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 25 |
| 4 | Quantum of Solace | 20 |
| 5 | Moonraker | 16 |
| 6 | The Living Daylights | 14 |
| 7 | Skyfall | 13 |
| 8 | TWINE | 12 |
| 9 | OHMSS | 11 |
| 10 | A View to a Kill | 6 |
| 11 | For Your Eyes Only | 2 |
| 12 | Casino Royale | 2 |
| 13 | Octopussy | 1 |
| 14 | Die Another Day | 1 |
| 15 | GoldenEye | 0 |
| 16 | Spectre | -2 |
| 17 | TMwtGGun | -5 |
| 18 | The Spy who Loved Me | -5 |
| 19 | Thunderball | -9 |
| 20 | No Time to Die | -11 |
| 21 | Live and Let Die | -14 |
| 22 | Dr No | -17 |
| 23 | You Only Live Twice | -18 |
| 24 | Goldfinger | -28 |
| 25 | Diamonds are Forever | -36 |
As a result of that approach to the Seeds and Pots, quite a lot of big bad hurty time here in the Bonus Points, but it’s becoming quite interesting at the top. Tomorrow Never Dies never dies, it seems.
Top Tens 2026 as voted for by you persons
| Villain | Music | Action & Stunts | Bond | Woman | Hench | Story | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Moonraker | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | The Spy who Loved Me | From Russia with Love | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Goldfinger | From Russia with Love |
| Two | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Thunderball | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale |
| Three | Goldfinger | You Only Live Twice | Casino Royale | Thunderball | Goldfinger | The Spy who Loved Me | OHMSS |
| Four | A View to a Kill | Goldfinger | For Your Eyes Only | Goldfinger | From Russia with Love | GoldenEye | The Spy who Loved Me |
| Five | Thunderball | Moonraker | Licence to Kill | The Spy who Loved Me | The Spy who Loved Me | Thunderball | Skyfall |
| Six | Licence to Kill | Diamonds are Forever | Skyfall | The Living Daylights | Thunderball | Diamonds are Forever | Tomorrow Never Dies |
| Seven | Skyfall | The Living Daylights | Live and Let Die | Moonraker | Dr No | The Living Daylights | Goldfinger |
| Eight | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | Tomorrow Never Dies | Skyfall | Tomorrow Never Dies | OHMSS | GoldenEye |
| Nine | Casino Royale | Live and Let Die | Moonraker | For Your Eyes Only | Moonraker | Licence to Kill | For Your Eyes Only |
| Ten | From Russia with Love | From Russia with Love | Quantum of Solace | Dr No | Licence to Kill | Spectre | Thunderball |
6 Likes
I wonder whether CR fares so well because it does not have a space laser or a giant Ken Adam lair. But is that really a better story to have a guy sit at a casino table and play cards? And get beaten into his privates badly yet can have wild sex in his hospital bed a few weeks later?
As usually, CR gets a lot of overrating, methinks.
5 Likes
Looking at it now it seems to me story was really overdue; a category to measure the satisfaction gained by the payoff a film offers. That’s where CASINO ROYALE shines; our guy has really had it at the end of the second act(-ish; Bond films often muddle the three-act form a little).
The genius move is having Bond with his signature line at the very end. It’s one of the best payoffs a fan could wish for.
7 Likes
A lot of it was the excitement of an early years story with character growth that was justified. The action around the casino sequences is really good, particularly the parkour chase. The whole film felt full of energy, from You Know My Name to Craig’s performance.
3 Likes
The Group Stage for Main Titles now done, it all splays itself invitingly as:
| Group A | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Royale | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 6 | 60 | 91.65 | 12 |
| Live and Let Die | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 30 | 10 | 57.95 | 9 |
| Diamonds are Forever | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 36 | -2 | 49 | 6 |
| Octopussy | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 52 | -35 | 25 | 3 |
| The Living Daylights | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 51 | -33 | 26.4 | 0 |
That’s a fearsome opening performance by the top Seed and likely favourite. Can anything stop it? The general perception that things were on the slide in the 1980s (health? budget?) is given some weight by neither of the bottom two getting through. Diamonds are Forever is a Lucky Loser, and even with its exploding skulls and wild waving women, Live and Let Die, albeit a runner-up, struggles a bit, there.
| Group B | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 15 | 38 | 77.95 | 12 |
| Moonraker | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 21 | 26 | 69.13 | 9 |
| DAD | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 50.9 | 6 |
| FYEO | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 40 | -14 | 39.88 | 3 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 58 | -50 | 12.08 | 0 |
At least the second time Die Another Day has qualified for the Second Round of this category - it is notoriously hopeless everywhere else - and that’s one Brosnan through. The two representatives of the 1980s - no.
| Group C | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YOLT | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 22 | 22 | 66.83 | 12 |
| Goldfinger | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 68.58 | 9 |
| NTTD | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 32 | 4 | 52.93 | 6 |
| TWINE | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 36 | -7 | 44.68 | 3 |
| TMwtGGun | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 54 | -43 | 17 | 0 |
Albeit finishing with better form, having lost its match with You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger finishes second in the group. This might be sneaky work, given how the Second Round draw works. No Time to Die’s titles, given all that time they had to work on them, seem a bit underpowered and scrappy to me (what’s that frogman doing there?). TWINE squeaks into the Second Round as a Lucky Loser, just, and even the very obviously naked women of The Man with the Golden Gun cannot save it, again.
| Group D | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldenEye | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 19 | 26 | 70.34 | 12 |
| Thunderball | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 62.49 | 9 |
| FRWL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 50.03 | 6 |
| Spectre | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 33.62 | 3 |
| QoSolace | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 33.54 | 0 |
Another Brosnan through, although perhaps not as much of a surprise as the other two so far. Always does pretty well. Spectre and Quantum of Solace very close and perhaps the ones for Quantum of Solace were a bit too different.
| Group E | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSWLM | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 16 | 34 | 76.1 | 12 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 11 | 44 | 83.65 | 9 |
| TND | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 32 | 1 | 51.19 | 6 |
| Dr No | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 46 | -28 | 28.13 | 3 |
| AVTAK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 57 | -50 | 10.94 | 0 |
At Group Stage, it’s basically all about the wins, so although Skyfall has a markedly higher form outcome, it lost its match to The Spy who Loved Me so is only Runner-Up. All the Brosnans through to the Second Round - am pretty sure that has never happened in any category before - and nothing from the 1980s through, which probably has.
Form table after Group Stage - Titles
| Form | Seed | Group Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale | 91.65 | 1 | Winner A |
| 2 | Skyfall | 83.65 | 6 | Runner-Up E |
| 3 | OHMSS | 77.95 | 2 | Winner B |
| 4 | TSWLM | 76.1 | 5 | Winner E |
| 5 | GoldenEye | 70.34 | 4 | Winner D |
| 6 | Moonraker | 69.13 | 9 | Runner-Up B |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 68.58 | 8 | Runner-Up C |
| 8 | You Only Live Twice | 66.83 | 3 | Winner C |
| 9 | Thunderball | 62.49 | 7 | Runner-Up D |
| 10 | Live and Let Die | 57.95 | 10 | Runner-Up A |
| 11 | No Time to Die | 52.93 | Lucky Loser 1 | |
| 12 | TND | 51.19 | Lucky Loser 2 | |
| 13 | Die Another Day | 50.9 | Lucky Loser 3 | |
| 14 | FRWL | 50.03 | Lucky Loser 4 | |
| 15 | DAF | 49 | Lucky Loser 5 | |
| 16 | TWINE | 44.68 | Lucky Loser 6 | |
| 17 | FYEO | 39.88 | ||
| 18 | Spectre | 33.62 | ||
| 19 | QoSolace | 33.54 | ||
| 20 | Dr No | 28.13 | ||
| 21 | The Living Daylights | 26.4 | ||
| 22 | Octopussy | 25 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 17 | ||
| 24 | Licence to Kill | 12.08 | ||
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.94 |
Seeds are a bit of a mess, and the sets of titles not getting through tells a bit of a sorry tale about getting into something of a creative rut.
Bonus Points after Group Stage - Titles
| Film | Bonus Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licence to Kill | 53 |
| 2 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 53 |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 30 |
| 4 | Quantum of Solace | 21 |
| 5 | Moonraker | 17 |
| 6 | The Living Daylights | 11 |
| 7 | OHMSS | 10 |
| 8 | TWINE | 9 |
| 9 | Skyfall | 9 |
| 10 | Octopussy | 4 |
| 11 | Die Another Day | 4 |
| 12 | Casino Royale | 4 |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 3 |
| 14 | For Your Eyes Only | 2 |
| 15 | A View to a Kill | -1 |
| 16 | Spectre | -3 |
| 17 | TMwtGGun | -6 |
| 18 | TSWLM | -6 |
| 19 | Thunderball | -10 |
| 20 | Dr No | -12 |
| 21 | No Time to Die | -12 |
| 22 | Live and Let Die | -15 |
| 23 | You Only Live Twice | -19 |
| 24 | Goldfinger | -27 |
| 25 | Diamonds are Forever | -37 |
Still with quite a few categories to come before the end of the year, it’s pretty tight there. Except if you are Diamonds are Forever, but then you have more extensive and serious things to worry you anyway.
5 Likes
Main Title Sequences Second Round done, form table is:
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale | 92.2 | (+0.55) | - |
| 2 | Skyfall | 80.26 | (-3.39) | - |
| 3 | OHMSS | 77.92 | (-0.03) | - |
| 4 | The Spy who Loved Me | 75.32 | (-0.78) | - |
| 5 | You Only Live Twice | 71.24 | (+4.41) | +3 |
| 6 | GoldenEye | 70.71 | (+0.37) | -1 |
| 7 | Moonraker | 62.3 | (-3.83) | -1 |
| 8 | Goldfinger | 61.52 | (-7.06) | -1 |
| 9 | Thunderball | 60 | (-2.49) | - |
| 10 | Live and Let Die | 57.48 | (-0.47) | - |
| 11 | From Russia with Love | 48.9 | (-1.13) | +3 |
| 12 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 45.39 | (-5.8) | - |
| 13 | Diamonds are Forever | 44.76 | (-4.24) | +2 |
| 14 | No Time to Die | 43.46 | (-9.47) | -3 |
| 15 | Die Another Day | 42.94 | (-7.96) | -2 |
| 16 | TWINE | 41.3 | (-3.38) | - |
| 17 | FYEO | 39.88 | ||
| 18 | Spectre | 33.62 | ||
| 19 | QoSolace | 33.54 | ||
| 20 | Dr No | 28.13 | ||
| 21 | The Living Daylights | 26.4 | ||
| 22 | Octopussy | 25 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 17 | ||
| 24 | Licence to Kill | 12.08 | ||
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.94 |
Casino Royale ominously getting stronger, the Second Round does what it usually does and creates some notable ups and downs. Moonraker gets through from its draw with Thunderball, but Thunderball seems still a fair bet for yet another top ten finish and it’s definitely possible that Moonraker may end up dropping below it.
MY GOD IT IS SO TENSE THAT I HAVE DECLARED MYSELF INDEPENDENT FROM THE REST OF THE UK AND HAVE SET MYSELF UP AS A TAX HAVEN. SEND ME ALL YOUR MONEY. GO ON.
5 Likes
Quarter-Finals for Main Title Sequences all done and lovely, the form table gyrates itself nakedly afore ye as:
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale | 90.87 | (-1.33) | - |
| 2 | OHMSS | 76.33 | (-1.59) | +1 |
| 3 | Skyfall | 75.65 | (-4.61) | -1 |
| 4 | You Only Live Twice | 70.77 | (-0.47) | +1 |
| 5 | GoldenEye | 66.83 | (-3.88) | +1 |
| 6 | The Spy who Loved Me | 65.4 | (-9.92) | -2 |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 61.52 | (-) | +1 |
| 8 | Thunderball | 60 | (-) | +1 |
| 9 | Moonraker | 59.68 | (-5.62) | -2 |
| 10 | Live and Let Die | 53.17 | (-4.31) | - |
| 11 | From Russia with Love | 48.9 | ||
| 12 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 45.39 | ||
| 13 | Diamonds are Forever | 44.76 | ||
| 14 | No Time to Die | 43.46 | ||
| 15 | Die Another Day | 42.94 | ||
| 16 | TWINE | 41.3 | ||
| 17 | FYEO | 39.88 | ||
| 18 | Spectre | 33.62 | ||
| 19 | QoSolace | 33.54 | ||
| 20 | Dr No | 28.13 | ||
| 21 | The Living Daylights | 26.4 | ||
| 22 | Octopussy | 25 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 17 | ||
| 24 | Licence to Kill | 12.08 | ||
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.94 |
Some movement here and there and “interesting” that You Only Live Twice seems to be gaining, round on round. How long that lasts may be uncertain, although it’s a Semi-Finalist and Semi-Finals are hard to predict. Top Ten may now be sorted but within that group, still capacity for liquid movement, a bit like all those nudey ladies in the titles themselves.
MY GOD IT IS SO TENSE THAT I MIGHT WELL ACCEPT THE OFFER TO BECOME THE NEW MANAGER OF PRESTON NORTH END.
6 Likes
With just the Final round of the knockout Deathmatches for Main Title Sequences to go, the form table is still in a bit of a state of flux:
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale | 88.42 | (-2.45) | - |
| 2 | Skyfall | 74.61 | (-1.04) | +1 |
| 3 | OHMSS | 69.94 | (-6.39) | -1 |
| 4 | GoldenEye | 66.83 | (-) | +1 |
| 5 | TSWLM | 65.4 | (-) | +1 |
| 6 | You Only Live Twice | 64.42 | (-6.35) | -2 |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 61.52 | ||
| 8 | Thunderball | 60 | ||
| 9 | Moonraker | 59.68 | ||
| 10 | Live and Let Die | 53.17 | ||
| 11 | From Russia with Love | 48.9 | ||
| 12 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 45.39 | ||
| 13 | Diamonds are Forever | 44.76 | ||
| 14 | No Time to Die | 43.46 | ||
| 15 | Die Another Day | 42.94 | ||
| 16 | TWINE | 41.3 | ||
| 17 | FYEO | 39.88 | ||
| 18 | Spectre | 33.62 | ||
| 19 | QoSolace | 33.54 | ||
| 20 | Dr No | 28.13 | ||
| 21 | The Living Daylights | 26.4 | ||
| 22 | Octopussy | 25 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 17 | ||
| 24 | Licence to Kill | 12.08 | ||
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.94 |
It’s conceivable (if not very likely) that the top three shuffle around yet more, but of greater probability is a further drop for You Only Live Twice. It’s also possible that GoldenEye could outdo OHMSS, and that’s not a clause ever previously having been witnessed in the span of human history.
MY GOD IT IS SO TENSE I HAVE ACCIDENTALLY USED ECONOMY WASH INSTEAD OF STANDARD CYCLE. MRS JIM IS GOING TO GO SMASH-MODE. HELP!
6 Likes
So, September having Septembered itself all over the place as usual, we have reached 2/3 of the way through the Deathmatch season.
Firstly, though, the spoils of war that was “Main Title Sequences”.
Main Title Sequences - Deathmatch knockout winners over the years
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Casino Royale |
| 2 | TSWLM | Skyfall | Skyfall | TSWLM | Skyfall |
| 3 | OHMSS | OHMSS | YOLT | OHMSS | OHMSS |
| 4 | Goldfinger | YOLT | Goldfinger | LALD | YOLT |
One wonders if Casino Royale is abiding by the financial fair play rules. Overall, a tight category with second place to play for; however, any shuffling around Pots and Seeds can affect outcomes. But, perhaps, not here.
Deathmatch outcomes by category 2026 so far
| Villain | Music | Action & Stunts | Bond | Woman | Hench | Story | Titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Moonraker | OHMSS | TSWLM | From Russia with Love | OHMSS | From Russia with Love | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale |
| Runner-Up | Skyfall | Live and Let Die | Casino Royale | TSWLM | Casino Royale | Goldfinger | OHMSS | Skyfall |
| 3rd | Goldfinger | Thunderball | OHMSS | Goldfinger | Goldfinger | TSWLM | Casino Royale | OHMSS |
| 4th | From Russia with Love | Moonraker | Thunderball | Casino Royale | TSWLM | Diamonds are Forever | Goldfinger | YOLT |
2/3 of the way in and Goldfinger hasn’t won a knockout yet, despite categories where it’s been victorious before. That’s “interesting”. It is. IT IS.
Most Valuable Player
| Placings | Wins | Top Tens | Top Form | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| FRWL | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 15 |
| CRoyale | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 14 |
| Goldfinger | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| TSWLM | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| Moonraker | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| Thunderball | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Skyfall | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| LALD | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| YOLT | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| DAF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
This seems tighter than in previous years. But then so do all my clothes.
Final Form Table - Main Title Sequences
| Form | (% shift) | Place shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale | 87.78 | (-0.64) | - |
| 2 | OHMSS | 69.54 | (-0.4) | +1 |
| 3 | Skyfall | 67.37 | (-7.24) | -1 |
| 4 | GoldenEye | 66.83 | ||
| 5 | The Spy who Loved Me | 65.4 | ||
| 6 | Goldfinger | 61.52 | +1 | |
| 7 | You Only Live Twice | 60.53 | (-3.89) | -1 |
| 8 | Thunderball | 60 | ||
| 9 | Moonraker | 59.68 | ||
| 10 | Live and Let Die | 53.17 | ||
| 11 | From Russia with Love | 48.9 | ||
| 12 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 45.39 | ||
| 13 | Diamonds are Forever | 44.76 | ||
| 14 | No Time to Die | 43.46 | ||
| 15 | Die Another Day | 42.94 | ||
| 16 | TWINE | 41.3 | ||
| 17 | FYEO | 39.88 | ||
| 18 | Spectre | 33.62 | ||
| 19 | QoSolace | 33.54 | ||
| 20 | Dr No | 28.13 | ||
| 21 | The Living Daylights | 26.4 | ||
| 22 | Octopussy | 25 | ||
| 23 | TMwtGGun | 17 | ||
| 24 | Licence to Kill | 12.08 | ||
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.94 |
Basically, a clear winner here and Casino Royale does the double Grand Slam or Royal Flush or carrrrrds thing, never really understood all that. Will it ever be beaten? Seems like that’s a job for Amazon. So, probably not.
Top Ten of Everything to Date
| 7 visits to Top Ten | 6 visits to Top Ten | 5 visits to Top Ten | 4 visits to Top Ten | 3 visits to Top Ten | 2 visits to Top Ten | 1 visit to Top Ten | Yet to bother the scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | FRWL | Skyfall | LTK | LALD | Dr No | AVTAK | TMwtGG |
| Thunderball | Moonraker | FYEO | YOLT | QoS | Octopussy | ||
| OHMSS | TLD | DAF | Spectre | TWINE | |||
| TSWLM | GoldenEye | DAD | |||||
| Casino Royale | TND | No Time to Die | |||||
No Time to Die definitely underachieving and with the categories to come, may never crawl out of oblivion. Conversely, the first two Brosnans way ahead of their usual form, especially…
Bonus Points to date 2026
| Film | Bonus Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 56 |
| 2 | Licence to Kill | 54 |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 33 |
| 4 | Quantum of Solace | 26 |
| 5 | Moonraker | 18 |
| 6 | OHMSS | 12 |
| 7 | The Living Daylights | 9 |
| 8 | Skyfall | 8 |
| 9 | The World is Not Enough | 6 |
| 10 | Die Another Day | 6 |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 4 |
| 12 | Octopussy | 3 |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 2 |
| 14 | GoldenEye | 2 |
| 15 | Spectre | -5 |
| 16 | The Spy who Loved Me | -6 |
| 17 | A View to a Kill | -6 |
| 18 | The Man with the Golden Gun | -7 |
| 19 | Dr No | -9 |
| 20 | Thunderball | -10 |
| 21 | No Time to Die | -14 |
| 22 | Live and Let Die | -16 |
| 23 | You Only Live Twice | -20 |
| 24 | Goldfinger | -26 |
| 25 | Diamonds are Forever | -39 |
That’s really rather extraordinary. At both ends.
Seeds and Pots 2027 - Main Title Sequences
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Average form | Seed/Pot 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr No | 20 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 19.8 | Pot 2 |
| FRWL | 8 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12.6 | Pot 1 |
| Goldfinger | 5 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7.8 | Seed 8 |
| Thunderball | 12 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7.6 | Seed 7 |
| YOLT | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4.6 | Seed 5 |
| OHMSS | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3.4 | Seed 2 |
| DAF | 10 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11.6 | Pot 1 |
| LALD | 11 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9.4 | Seed 10 |
| TMwtGGun | 21 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | Pot 3 |
| TSWLM | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4.6 | Seed 4 |
| Moonraker | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8.6 | Seed 9 |
| FYEO | 16 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15.4 | Pot 1 |
| Octopussy | 23 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 21.2 | Pot 3 |
| AVTAK | 22 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 25 | 21.6 | Pot 3 |
| TLD | 17 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 19.2 | Pot 2 |
| LTK | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24.4 | Pot 3 |
| GoldenEye | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4.4 | Seed 3 |
| TND | 14 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12.4 | Pot 1 |
| TWINE | 18 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 16.8 | Pot 2 |
| DAD | 19 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 18.8 | Pot 2 |
| C Royale | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 | Seed 1 |
| QoS | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 23.4 | Pot 3 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5.2 | Seed 6 |
| Spectre | 15 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16.2 | Pot 2 |
| NTTD | 13 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 12.8 | Pot 1 |
One can track through this history the creative exhaustion of it all. Might they keep Mr Kleinmann on, or is it now time for change here too? Statistics suggest so…
Your Top Tens 2026 as voted for by you - YES, YOU!
| Villain | Music | Action & Stunts | Bond | Woman | Hench | Story | Titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Moonraker | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | The Spy who Loved Me | From Russia with Love | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Goldfinger | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale |
| Two | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Thunderball | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service |
| Three | Goldfinger | You Only Live Twice | Casino Royale | Thunderball | Goldfinger | The Spy who Loved Me | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Skyfall |
| Four | A View to a Kill | Goldfinger | For Your Eyes Only | Goldfinger | From Russia with Love | GoldenEye | The Spy who Loved Me | GoldenEye |
| Five | Thunderball | Moonraker | Licence to Kill | The Spy who Loved Me | The Spy who Loved Me | Thunderball | Skyfall | TSWLM |
| Six | Licence to Kill | Diamonds are Forever | Skyfall | The Living Daylights | Thunderball | Diamonds are Forever | Tomorrow Never Dies | Goldfinger |
| Seven | Skyfall | The Living Daylights | Live and Let Die | Moonraker | Dr No | The Living Daylights | Goldfinger | You Only Live Twice |
| Eight | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | Tomorrow Never Dies | Skyfall | Tomorrow Never Dies | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | GoldenEye | Thunderball |
| Nine | Casino Royale | Live and Let Die | Moonraker | For Your Eyes Only | Moonraker | Licence to Kill | For Your Eyes Only | Moonraker |
| Ten | From Russia with Love | From Russia with Love | Quantum of Solace | Dr No | Licence to Kill | Spectre | Thunderball | Live and Let Die |
Perhaps a little more varied than one first assumed. Four categories to go…
The Road to Best Picture 2026
| Current standing after 8 Rounds 2026 | Standing after 8 Rounds 2025 | Final Reckoning December 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | Goldfinger | Goldfinger |
| 2 | The Spy who Loved Me | The Spy who Loved Me | The Spy who Loved Me |
| 3 | Goldfinger | OHMSS | OHMSS |
| 4 | Thunderball | Thunderball | Thunderball |
| 5 | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | Moonraker |
| 6 | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale | Casino Royale |
| 7 | Moonraker | Moonraker | From Russia with Love |
| 8 | Skyfall | Skyfall | You Only Live Twice |
| 9 | Tomorrow Never Dies | Diamonds are Forever | Diamonds are Forever |
| 10 | Licence to Kill | You Only Live Twice | Skyfall |
| 11 | Live and Let Die | Live and Let Die | Live and Let Die |
| 12 | GoldenEye | Dr No | No Time to Die |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | GoldenEye | For Your Eyes Only |
| 14 | The Living Daylights | For Your Eyes Only | The Living Daylights |
| 15 | Diamonds are Forever | No Time to Die | Dr No |
| 16 | You Only Live Twice | The Living Daylights | GoldenEye |
| 17 | No Time to Die | A View to a Kill | Octopussy |
| 18 | Dr No | Octopussy | Tomorrow Never Dies |
| 19 | Octopussy | Licence to Kill | A View to a Kill |
| 20 | Quantum of Solace | Tomorrow Never Dies | Licence to Kill |
| 21 | A View to a Kill | Spectre | Spectre |
| 22 | The Man with Golden Gun | The Man with the Golden Gun | The Man with the Golden Gun |
| 23 | Spectre | Quantum of Solace | Quantum of Solace |
| 24 | The World is Not Enough | The World is Not Enough | The World is Not Enough |
| 25 | Die Another Day | Die Another Day | Die Another Day |
There’s an amount of consistency here; and yet, some are massively overperforming and some massively underachieving, in comparison to times past. Could make for a very different-looking final reckoning this year…
DEATHMATCH WILL RETURN
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Once more, thanks for doing the good work of Deathmatch and Sideswipes for us again. I shudder to think about logging on here tomorrow and it will all be on hiatus again. I will have to concentrate on work, so how can you do this to me, Jim? Only Mrs. SecretAgentFan will be laughing and stroking our cat.
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Thank you for a wonderful September in your inimitable style and with your fulsome wit.
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