The Mi6 radio control unit - Mi6 HQ?

Midnight in London

In Dr. No, when the radio control at Mi6 looses contact with Strangways who is their station agent in Jamaica, Bond is immediately summoned to M. Moneypenny has apparently been searching London for him and of course he can be found at one of the finest clubs in town. Playing a game of Chemin de fer at Les Ambassadeurs, Bond receives a business card and has to pass the shoe. In the next scene he walks into M's office.

The building to the right is probably the one that still exists today

"-It happens to be 3 am. When do you sleep 007?
       -Never on the firm's time sir..."
              -M and Bond at the office-





The exterior of Bond's office is never shown, but two buildings are briefly visible before the scene at the radio department. When the contact with Jamaica is broken, the foreman of signals immediately informs Mi6. If the buildings shown in the first scene is supposed to house both the radio unit and M's office is not clear.

The foreman of signals is casually dressed for the night shift.


"Foreman of signals, sir. Jamaica's broken off mid-transmission. No Sir it's not a technical fault." 





The buildings that were used in the film can be found at a rather well known place. They are located right next to the real Mi6 headquarters at Vauxhall. Even though the exact same buildings doesn't exist anymore it appears that at least one of the buildings visible in the film still stands on the south bank of the Thames today.

Why these buildings were used is not known. If they are supposed to portray the exterior of Mi6 is not entirely clear but if they are, this is the only time that the Universal Exports is visible during the Connery era. In On Her Majesty's secret service, a sign in the pre-title sequence indicates that the Mi6 headquarters are located in Westminster, close to Big Ben. Then it took another seven films until the exterior would be seen again - this time located at Whitehall in Octopussy.

The real Mi6 can be spotted to the right

An abandoned station - Vauxhall Cross

"It seems you've become useful again..."

In Die another day, after the sword fight with Gustav Graves at 'Blades', Bond is called back into service. In the lobby of the fencing club Bond receives a key, sent from M. The key opens a door that leads down to a secret part of Mi6, an abandoned tube station called Vauxhall Cross where M is waiting. Bond arrives to the location in a London cab.

The door can be found at the southeast end of Westminster Bridge, just opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The name Vauxhall Cross is a reference to the fact that the real Mi6 HQ is located at the end of Vauxhall Bridge and close to the real tube station called Vauxhall. Since Bond would have had to walk approximately 2 km to get to the real Vauxhall Station, it is implied that the secret station is located somewhere along the south bank.  

Once when I visited the place, the door was open and I got a peek inside. Behind it is a small room housing an electric central, so don't be disappointed if you can't find the steep staircase that Brosnan walks down. That scene and the following at the tube station were shot in studio.

           "An abandoned station, for abandoned agents..."



Another famous location that can be found nearby is the lamp post that was used in the promotional photos of George Lazenby when he "took office" after Sir Sean. That lamp post can be found on the other side of the street, just opposite of the secret Mi6 door.

Mi6 HQ / Barbican centre and 50 years of Bond

London will always be London. When you take the subway from Heathrow (British Airways Terminal 5) and comes up at Piccadilly, you realize that London probably is the best city in the world. My last trip took me there for the obvious reason of visiting 'Designing 007 - 50 years of Bond style' at Barbican center. What could be more convenient than a location around the corner.

In Quantum of Solace, M and Tanner are walking out from what is supposed to be the Mi6 headquarters in the film. A little strange since the real secret intelligence hq at Vauxhall Cross had been used as Mi6 during the Brosnan era. The supposedly new Mi6 headquarters are in fact located on top of the Barbican Arts and Conference center and the house is known as the Barbican Frobisher Crescent.

Why this building was used is unknown but then again, Quantum did not deliver many rights and since Gassner was the new production designer (and a very poor one at that) there were evidently no reason to keep anything that was good from the previous films. Gassner has a chance to redeem himself in SkyFall and it seems he will do a better job this time. Furthermore, Mi6 will once again be located at Vauxhall bridge, as seen in the trailers. Just like in The World is not enough the building will once more become the victim of an attack.


"-She wants to know about Slate.
      -Tell her Slate was a dead end!"
 -Tanner and Bond-

M and Tanner are walking in the arcade that runs below the house, on the left hand side. They are coming out in the big opening in the middle of the Crescent (picture to the lower left) and the white blocks on the opposite side of the crescent can be seen behind M in the last scene. 

Overall Quantum struggles with so many problems that it qualifies in the bottom three list but it would be a waste of time to discuss it further here. Sometimes you can forget the past... Instead we are looking forward to the SkyFall premier next month. The latest trailer reveals that we are getting back M's classic office with the padded doors, something that actually was revealed already at the exhibition. M's padded door was on display along with a desk and Mi6 props from SkyFall.

Below are just a few of the things that were on display during the exhibition in London. Listing all the props, outfits and information would take too long, so enjoy the pictures.

Overall the exhibition was elaborately planned and very well designed. One problem was the number of tourists in the first two exhibition halls, but everything got better once you entered into the "casino area", where a number of evening suits, jewelry, playing cards, chips and dresses were on display.

The exhibition closed down in London on Sept 6 and is now going on a world tour. 

The heart of London

In honor of the diamond jubilee I celebrate the Queen and Empire with one of the most British sites in the world - Big Ben and the houses of Parliament.

Goldfinger

The facade has probably been given a good clean since 1964

When establishing London or introducing 'Bond back at the office', various London sites have often been used throughout the series. For these establishing shots, Big Ben have been used on a few occasions. The first time we get a good look on the "London trademark" is in Goldfinger 1964 (I disregard the very dark skyline over London, first seen in Dr No).

The outstanding view from 'London Eye'

Following all the Fontainbleu action in Miami and the gold covered Jill Masterson, Bond heads back to the office in London for debriefing. As an establishing shot, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben is pictured to show that Bond is back in dear old England. Even though it is one of London's most famous buildings it has been used rather sparsely and it would take two more films and another 6 years before Big Ben would be seen again in the series.

On Her Majesty's secret service

The first scene in the pre-title sequence shows Big Ben reflecting in the entrance sign of Universal Exports, the cover name for Mi6. This means that Mi6 would be located in the heart of Westminster, perhaps opposite the white building in the picture below.
Before On Her Majesty's secret service the Mi6 HQ had not been pictured or given an exact position (apart from the exterior in Dr No that possibly portrays the Mi6), hence this is the first time we get an approximate location of Bond's office. Nevertheless this is the only time that Mi6 has been located here. A summary of the other Universal Exports locations can be found here.  After On Her Majesty's secret service it would take another 30 years before Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament would be visible in a film again, namely during the boat chase in The world is not enough and briefly in Die another day, both will be subject to a later post.




Casino Royale

In Casino Royale Big Ben was pictured as an establishing shot over London and the next scene features M and Villiers supposedly coming out from a meeting with some ministers of the Government. A contradiction in itself since that scene actually was filmed at the Strahov Monestary Library in Prague. Casino Royale 2006 was the last time Big Ben was seen in the series but the pictures and trailer of Skyfall shows Craig in action around Westminster and Whitehall. The trailer shows that Big Ben will make a welcomed comeback on the big screen in October. The filmmakers are probably eager to portray the most well-known sites of London as well as returning to the old Bond formula following the poorly executed Quantum of solace.  

"-Country?
      -England..."

Craig in action in front of Westminster Abbey and the Parliament

The best view over Big Ben can undoubtedly be found when riding on the London Eye. But another Bond location where you get a good look over the complex is the "Lazenby lamp post" to the left of Westminster bridge. This location was used for publicity shots of George Lazenby prior to the filming of On Her Majesty's secret service. 

Mi6 Headquarters, Vauxhall cross

As filming of SkyFall is well underway in the United Kingdom and Turkey it is appropriate to look at one of the locations that will appear in the new film. Earlier this year, Dame Judi Dench were shooting on location at Vauxhall bridge, just outside the iconic building of Mi6 headquarters. The building has featured in some of the previous films during the Brosnan era and will now make a long awaited reappearance.

GoldenEye

Starting with GoldenEye, Bond's office has been housed in the real Mi6 building at Vauxhall Cross in London. 1995 was the first time the building was seen in the series. The previous film Licence to kill had featured the exterior of the old war office building in Whitehall as M's office.

Mi6 seen from Vauxhall bridge

In Tomorrow never dies 1997 Bond meets with M at the Ministry of Defence instead of Mi6, hence the exterior was never seen. The establishing shot of the Ministry was filmed at Somerset house (doubling for the Ministry) and Bond later gets his assignment as he travels around London in M's Daimler. But the Mi6 location would make a comeback two years later in Brosnan's third outing.

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The world is not enough

In The world is not enough 1999 Mi6 played the biggest part to date, when it comes under attack in the pre-credit sequence. A suitcase of money that Bond has brought back from Spain explodes and blow a hole in the left wall.

"King, the money!"

Since the filmmakers were not alloved to blow up the real Mi6 they constructed a model. Another example of the brilliant production design from the Bond series. It is an excellent model almost impossible to distinguish from the real building.




Because of the attack, the entire Mi6 have to move to Scotland while the building is being renovated. Hence, the HQ is set in a Scottish castle for the rest of the film.

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Die another day

The year 2002 was the last time before Skyfall that the building featured as the exterior of Mi6 Headquarters. It featured twice in Die another day, both in the middle of the film when Bond returns to Q-branch and just before the final scene before Moneypenny is found with the virtual reality glasses at the end.

In the film, Q-branch is located under ground (supposedly an abandoned station), and during Bond's meeting with Q, you can read "Vauxhall Cross" on the wall.

Vauxhall Cross refers to the real location of Mi6 which is located right next to the Vauxhall tube station. The names of the stations seen behind John Cleese, except for Vauxhall Cross, are all located along the blue Piccadilly line (South Kensington absent). Vauxhall Cross is not a station along that line and why these stations were used is unknown. These scenes were  naturally shot in studio.

"An abandoned station, 
       for abandoned agents..."
 

Mi6 seen for the last time during the Brosnan era in 2002

In both Casino Royale and Quantum of solace Bond never visits M's office. Even though M has a few scenes behind her desk in those two films the exterior is never seen.

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Skyfall

After 10 years, the real Mi6 finally returned as Bond's headquarters in SkyFall. M's office is blown up by Silva in the beginning of the film and M has to relocate Mi6 to Churchill's old bunker under ground. In the first scene after the main title sequence, M is writing Bond's obituary in her office.

Later, after her first meeting with Mallory, her car is stopped on Vauxhall bridge just before her office blows up.

The last scene pictures Bond on the roof of a building in Whitehall, namely the Department of Energy and Climate Control, overlooking the Old War Office building, indicating that the new Mi6 HQ again has been moved to Whitehall and will be located here for the next film. The Old War Office was the location of Bond's HQ in both Octopussy, A View to a Kill and Licence to Kill.

In the final scene of Skyfall Mallory has assumed office and a painting of the "old" Mi6 hangs behind his desk. This picture is not present in Spectre.

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Read the entire article on the Vauxhall filming and everything else about SkyFall on the website mi6-hq.com, one of the best Bond fan sites to date:
Link to Mi6-hq - The road to Mi6

The reconstruction of the Vauxhall building started in 1989 after the property had been bought by the Government and it was finished in April 1994. It was Prime Minister Margret Thatcher who approved the purchase of the building in 1988 due to the need of a modern building that could accommodate new technology and IT connectivity for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as the Mi6. The building was officially opened in July 1994 by Her Majesty the Queen.* It was therefore brand new when it featured in GoldenEye for the first time.

M's office in Skyfall is located just behind the flag.

*Source: Wikipedia