Cyril Blake starts off the show in a light-hearted manner, quizzing the audience on their favourite James Bond actor (this reviewer’s choice – Timothy Dalton – was not shared by many!) and trying on six jackets associated with each actor. Blake brings a level of enthusiastic energy to this and his enactments of Bond scenes that reflect his childhood imagination and adulthood ambitions.

He’s a natural performer, with his impressions of each respective Bond and acting out scenes from the franchise showcasing his love of the films so well. Stand out moments are his physical enactments of Roger Moore’s double entendre-filled banter with Moneypenny or a Bondian car chase with his pet cat, where Blake really throws himself into the role.

This central relationship between the cinematic Bond and the flesh and blood Cyril is central to the show. Whilst the lighter aspects are amusing to watch, the strongest moments are the more serious recollections.

These include Blake interrogating the enforced toxic masculinity of his childhood in working-class Barnsley and how this resulted in an internal conflict that affected his early years in drama school. Blake discusses these issues and how they relate to Bond without ever seeming overly apologetic for past transgressions or problematic elements of the Bond character. Most notable, however, are the moments concerning his father, with whom he had a complicated relationship.

Whilst Blake’s impressions of his gruff, no-nonsense garage worker father are as impressive as his Bonds, he never makes the old man seem like a caricature. This aspect is crucial to making the strongest moments in the show work, namely detailing the ups and downs of Blake’s relationship with his father and how Bond was the one thing connecting them both. This can be seen in two moving moments where seeing two Craig films in the cinema at two crucial points in Blake’s life show how his ability to emotionally relate to his father evolves over time.

In short, ‘Bonding’ is a funny and ultimately heartwarming look at one man’s personal relationship with the world’s most famous secret agent. Blake impresses with his versatility, both in his comical recreations of Agent 007’s highlights and in his more serious recollections of his life.

‘Bonding‘ is at Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Five until Sun 24 Aug 2025 at 15:10