‘007: Road to a Million’ Is James Bond Meets ‘The Amazing Race’ & ‘Jeopardy!’
Preview
Ever fantasize about being James Bond racing through hairpin turns in a sleek Aston Martin, churning across the water in a fast-moving speedboat, or scaling a mountain in hot pursuit of an elusive clue? In the cinematic reality series 007: Road to a Million, average folks from all walks of life get their chance to slip on the debonair shoes of the legendary British spy. Darting around the globe, they endure physical and psychological challenges to retrieve a series of silver suitcases, and then answer trivia questions contained inside, all for a chance to win one million pounds.
Think of it as your favorite Bond film crossed with The Amazing Race, Survivor, and a dash of Jeopardy! “What would it be like if real people could be the heroes of their own Bond movie?” says Julian Jones, who directs the series. “We wanted to make a hybrid, something that works as a documentary, a game show, a movie, and a reality show all in one.”
As the series “Controller,” Brian Cox channels his mercurial and scheming Succession media mogul Logan Roy, as he moves the contestants around the proverbial chess board. He gives the players their marching orders and watches the action unfold from a bank of video monitors at an undisclosed location. “A Bond villain is always setting a game in motion,” Jones says. “We wanted this enigmatic voice on the other end of the telephone putting them through their paces.”
The nine pairs of contestants come from all walks of life, including a married couple, siblings, ex-cops, a father-and-son, friends, and a nursing duo. Brothers James and Joey Bone dash around Venice, clamber up the wall of a charming villa and through an open window, and then face a boa constrictor inside a trunk. Later, they must find a boat to take them to a buoy in the middle of the picturesque Grand Canal, the backdrop for movies like Casino Royale (2006).
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“All our contestants have their own unique backstories that hopefully make the audience care about them and root for them even more,” Jones says. “As they progressed, people just loved the adventure. They were doing this once-in-a-lifetime thing, even though it’s sometimes really hard, scary, and challenging.”
Husband-and-wife Josh and Kamara clamber up a crane dangling over a deep ravine in an Italian village. After Kamara completes the nerve-wracking stunt (Josh is afraid of heights), she shouts “We did it!” when she reaches terra firma. Cox, observing from his video feed, scoffs, “We? That’s generous.” When a young female participant calls the mountain they’re strenuously climbing “cruel,” her sister retorts, “No, it’s the man that’s cruel! That voice is not on our side.” Remarks Cox, with a chuckle and a Logan Roy-like smirk, as he observes from afar, “Don’t take it personally.”
“No Bond movie is complete without a Bond villain,” Jones says. “And a Bond villain is always setting a game in motion, for his own amusement as well as to take over the world. He’s the guy dreaming all of this up. It’s all just a little game to him.”
A slew of Bond films serve as inspiration for the harrowing challenges and locations, gadgets and stunts (snakes and tarantulas, oh my!). Even the crew was riveted as they watched the hair-raising feats unfold. “We were on the edge-of-our-seat,” Jones says. “For many moments, my heart was in my mouth, and then you’re just punching the air with joy when they actually do it!”
Easter eggs abound. A Scotland garage contains the Rolls-Royce Phantom III seen in Goldfinger and the bullet-riddled Land Rover from Skyfall, among the cars from other Bond films. The series begins in the Scottish Highlands “on the exact same road,” Jones says, seen in Skyfall, when Bond (Daniel Craig) brings M (Judi Dench) to hide out at his childhood home in Glen Etive, where a famously climactic scene took place. Explains Jones of the backdrop, “It felt like the perfect place for us to start our journey with our contestants.” Buckle up!
007: Road to a Million, Series Premiere, Friday, November 10, Prime Video
This is an expanded article from TV Insider’s November issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
