Hello to you all - how have you been? It's three and a half years since I filed my last report from behind the scenes on DIE ANOTHER DAY (October 29th 2002 for those who are counting). Where did the time go?

With our website now up and running it's time to fill you in on what's been happening on this latest instalment of 007's journey. Since I've been away, it seems that everyone has started blogging about their lives, but only here will you get the real story of what is happening on our set.

In the months that lie ahead, I hope to give you some sort of insight into how this film is going and introduce you to some of the people who are making it happen.

That should really be "re-introduce you" of course as there are so many familiar faces on the crew and we'll meet them again as we go. The producers, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, like to foster a sense of family and familiarity on set. But never mind all that for the moment, there's one new face that's getting all the attention.

Daniel Craig.

How's our new Bond doing? Well, we've had a good laugh at some of the wild speculation in the papers. The truth is - he's doing a great job. You'd expect me to say that, of course, but oddly enough, it's true and as you get to learn a bit more about what we're up to, hopefully you'll see what I mean. He's taken the film makers' new approach to the story and made a character that is both rooted in Ian Fleming's creation and also completely his own new take on the role.

And what is this new approach? Well, in short, we have gone back to the start of the Bond story. CASINO ROYALE was Fleming's first Bond book and the film has stayed true to the shape of the novel so if you know your book, you won't be expecting to see a featured role for Moneypenny or meet Q.

In this film we'll see Bond get his 00 status, his licence to kill. What will happen to him in this story will inform all the Bond stories that followed. But it's not set in 1953 when the book was published - it is a contemporary story with a much more realistic feel than some of our previous outings. No villains in hollowed out volcanoes but more pain and danger for our hero.

But not too much for us hopefully as we travel with him!

For now, welcome back
Yarborough