John Hopkins

The man whose nerve, charm, and audacity helped shape the modern image of the spy.

But was Sidney Riley truly the world's first modern super spy?

How much of his legend was built on real intelligence work?

And how much on stories he told about himself?

And in the end, did Riley master the world of espionage?

Or did it finally turn his own methods against him?

I'm John Hopkins.

From the Noiser Podcast Network, this is a short history of the real James Bond.

It's often said that Ian Fleming drew inspiration for James Bond from the exploits of a real-life spy called Sidney Riley.

This is undoubtedly the case.

But the truth, as with so much in the Sidney Riley story, is hard to pin down.

By the time Fleming begins creating James Bond, Riley has already been dead for over 25 years, though his legend still circulates widely.

His story has been told in newspapers, memoirs, and even in a popular cartoon strip.

He is presented as an irresistible lone operator, charming allies, deceiving enemies, and living dangerously but lavishly.

At a time when intelligence work has so far been the slow, serious domain of diplomats and bureaucrats, the legend of Sidney Riley suggests something far more glamorous.

And for Ian Fleming, one day a famous author, but for now a frustrated office worker, it is the perfect inspiration.

Andrew Cook is the author of Ace of Spies, the true story of Sidney Riley.

The comic strip may have exaggerated Sidney Riley's exploits, but it did not invent him entirely.

Riley himself cultivated the image of the enigmatic master spy to perfection.

But his life was a series of reinventions, aliases, and half-truths.