Spies 'R' Us: Fiction's Finest Secret Agents Quiz

Answer: James Bond

No quiz about fictional spies would be complete without 007. James Bond was the creation of Ian Fleming, who had been a commander in the Royal Navy and, some believe, created a character in his own image. Fleming wrote 12 full-length Bond novels and two volumes of short stories.

Other authors to carry on the Bond tradition included Kingsley Amis, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks and John Gardner. The first film adaptation was of 'Dr No' in 1962 and it became one of the most popular and lucrative film franchises of the latter part of the 20th century, continuing into the new century. Bond has been played on the silver screen by a number of actors, including: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. If the first and unauthorised version of 'Casino Royale' was counted, David Niven could be added to that list. Devotees have strong opinions on which was the best Bond. I doubt if this question left you either shaken or stirred.

Answer: Jason Bourne

Bourne was the creation of Robert Ludlum and first appeared in the novel 'The Bourne Identity'. Most of Ludlum's novels had snappy three-word titles beginning with the word 'The'. Two more books followed and all three were made into movies starring Matt Damon. They followed his adventures in tracking down the shadowy Treadstone Corporation that he had once worked for and which had tried to kill him.
Ludlum's books 'The Bourne Identity', 'The Bourne Supremacy', and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' were followed by 'The Bourne Legacy', written by Eric Van Lustbader after Ludlum's death in 2001.

Answer: John Steed

John Steed was the mainstay of the British TV dramas 'The Avengers' and 'The New Avengers'. The shows ran for a number of series between 1961 and 1979. Patrick McNee played John Steed. His glamorous assistants included Cathy Gale (played by Honor Blackman, 1962-1964), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg, 1965-1967), Tara King (Linda Thorson, 1968 - 1969), and Purdey (Joanna Lumley, 1976-1977).

Answer: Bernard Samson

Some readers found it difficult to empathise with Bernard Samson; his sense of victimisation was almost palpable. Samson had strong attachments to the people he met during his Berlin childhood and could be loyal to them, while he was often frustrated that his secret service superiors seemed hidebound by their protocols and careless of the effects their decisions had on others. Len Deighton's well-crafted books contained beautifully-observed characters and included three trilogies: 'Berlin Game', 'Mexico Set' and 'London Match'; 'Spy Hook', 'Spy Line' and 'Spy Sinker'; and 'Faith', 'Hope' and 'Charity'.

Answer: Maxwell Smart

Just as literature and the big screen began to groan under the weight of super spies, an American TV series was created that satirised all the fiendish plots and magnificent special effects. 'Get Smart' starred Don Adams and aired initially on NBC from 1965 to 1969 and then for a year on CBS, September 1969 to September 1970.

The show was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and won seven Emmys and two Golden Globes. Almost 40 years on, it's probably still running somewhere on satellite or cable TV.

As well as a phone in his shoe, Smart had others in his tie and belt. Barbara Feldon played the straight part as his assistant.

Answer: Tweed

If his first name was ever given, I must have missed it. Tweed's cover was 'Cumbria and General Insurance' company. The books were written by Colin Forbes and the settings were meticulously researched - Forbes wrote a book a year, often travelling to various locations to flesh out geographic details for the plots.

The publishers boasted that the books were enjoyed equally by men and women.

Answer: Boysie Oakes

The character of Boysie Oakes was created by the British novelist John Gardner in 1964. He was a bit of an antidote to James Bond, then beginning to make his presence known. Oakes was a comic character far removed from the suave, sophisticated Bond. Ironically, John Gardner was to later pen some of the new and authorised Bond novels and went on to write 16, which was more than Ian Fleming (Bond's creator) did. Oakes featured in eight novels and in a 1965 movie, 'The Liquidator', in which he was played by Rod Taylor.

Answer: Daniel Briggs

Most people associate Peter Graves as the IMF leader Jim Phelps in the 1960s television series 'Mission: Impossible'. Phelps, however, was not the first leader of the Impossible Mission Force, that had been Daniel Briggs (played by Steven Hill in season one, 1966 and 1967). Phelps appeared as the leader in the second season.

The TV series was reintroduced in the 1980s with Phelps called out of retirement. Jon Voight played the leader in a 1966 motion picture and Tom Cruise starred in more remakes, starting in 1996.

Answer: Sydney Bristow

Sydney Bristow was played by Jennifer Garner in five seasons of 'Alias'. Sydney was recruited at college to work for what she thought was a branch of the CIA (called SD-6) and it was some time before she realised it was actually an organised crime group that was, in fact, an enemy of the United States.

The show was action-packed, but on a deeper level explored the personal conflicts that Sydney had to face when she began to realise that everything she believed in was not exactly what she thought it was. Nina Myers was a character in '24', Paula Gray was an assistant to the British spy Tweed; Vesper Lynd was a character in Ian Fleming's 'Casino Royale'.

Answer: Jack Bauer

Keifer Sutherland played the role of Jack Baeur in several television series from the original '24' in 2001. Bauer was a well-experienced agent and veteran of several organisations, with most of the action involving his attachment to the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles.

The basic premise of each season was for Bauer and his associates to thwart some evil plot within the space of 24 hours. I'll concede that Bauer may not strictly be a spy, but the show reflects the changing role of espionage, with security services now more concerned with combating home-grown and international terrorism than the state versus state spying of the Cold War years.

Answer: Modesty Blaize

Modesty Blaize was created as a cartoon strip character by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. She was a gifted spy who could change appearances at will and, with her trusty sidekicks, often featured in daring hand-to-hand combat with her enemies.

A novel followed the comic strip, and real action movies were made in 1966 (starring Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, and Dirk Bogarde), 1982 (Ann Turkel and Lewis Van Bergen in a pilot for a TV series that was never made) and 2003 (starring Alexandra Staden as Modesty.)

Answer: John Drake

Patrick McGoohan starred as John Drake in "Dangerman" in two series (1960 to 1962 and 1964 to 1968). The show was retitled 'Secret Agent' for US audiences. Drake was meant (at least in the first series) to be a NATO agent assisting friendly governments and preventing plots against NATO.

In the second series, he seemed to be attached to British intelligence, though serving the same "protect the free world from anarchy" modus operandi. Some people believe that John Drake became 'Number 6' in 'The Prisoner', the series that also starred Patrick McGoohan.

Answer: Richard Hannay

Richard Hanny was created by John Buchan, and is probably the only fictional spy to have been knighted. Let's give him his full name, Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, Legion of Honour. The character appeared in several novels including 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' (1915) and 'The Three Hostages' (1924). At least three film versions of 'The 39 Steps' were made (1935, 1959 and 1978)

Answer: Charlie Muffin

Charlie Muffin could not have been more unlike James Bond if he tried. Charlie had attended grammar school, unlike the public school protégées that filled other SIS positions. Charlie had a well balanced personality - a chip on either shoulder. Debonair fashion was low on Charlie's list of priorities and his clothes were frequently frayed or dirty.

His bosses tried to get him killed by the KGB in Berlin, so he engineered it so that his boss and a CIA chief were entrapped by the Russians. After years on the run he returned to the SIS fold and had further adventures - including an affair with a beautiful Russian agent.

The discomfort he suffered with his Hush Puppy clad feet was excruciating. Charlie Muffin was the creation of Brian Freemantle, and, I'll confess, my favourite fictional spy.

Answer: Ziva David

Cote de Pablo played Ziva David in the US TV series 'NCIS' (Naval Criminal Intelligence Service). Officer David was an Israeli on attachment from Mossad. Cote de Pablo was born in Santiago, Chile.
Mark Harmon led the cast as it investigated murders and mayhem affecting US Navy and Marine personnel. Another of the cast was David McCallum, who played a pathologist. You may remember him from series like 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E'
Paula Gray was an assistant to the British spy, Tweed; Caitlin Todd was Ziva David's predecessor in NCIS, she had worked for the US Secret Service; Kelly Peyton was a terrorist in 'Alias'.