007: Road to a Million

007: Road to a Million
Genre
Inspired byJames Bond
by Ian Fleming
Directed by
  • Julian Jones
  • Tom Dumican
  • Jamie Goold
  • Alice Smith
Presented byBrian Cox
Theme music composerDavid Arnold
ComposerSam Thompson
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
ProducerBen Allen
Cinematography
  • Ben Margitich
  • Peter Allibone
  • Duane McClunie
  • Gary Clarke
  • Richard Ing
  • Arthur Mulhern
Editors
  • Chris Nicholls
  • Wesley Thomas
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time39–60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release10 November 2023 (2023-11-10) –
present

007: Road to a Million is a reality competition show spin-off of the James Bond franchise. Hosted by Brian Cox, it features nine teams of two competing in a race to win £1 million each through a series of spy-themed challenges. The series was made by 72 Films and MGM Television in association with Eon Productions for release on Amazon Prime Video on 10 November 2023.

On 13 September 2023, the show was renewed for a second series before the first series was even released on the service.[1] The 8-part second series released onto Prime Video on 22 August 2025, but with a new format, and eight teams instead of nine participating.

Format

Brian Cox hosts the show as the "Controller", and nine teams of two people compete to win a worldwide race to win £1 million each. The Controller sets the rules of the game, back at "MI6" and monitoring each team from afar as he tells them where they must go next, what challenges they must perform, and what questions they must try to answer. Cox portrays the Controller as a hard but fair 'M' style character, equally delighting in the hardship of the contestants and impressed by their performance.[2][3] The tasks and locations are linked to various Bond films and actual and replica props are used throughout the show.[4][5] The second season of the show introduced a Deputy Controller.

Production

72 Films had been developing the show for about four years before Amazon Prime Video green-lit the series in March 2022.[6][7] By April, Brian Cox had signed on to host as the villain of the show.[8] Cox initially thought that the casting was for the next Bond film.[9] The show has been noted for its quality cinematography and location selection.

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
189 November 2023 (2023-11-09)9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
2822 August 2025 (2025-08-22)22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)

Series 1 (2023)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date
11"EPISODE ONE"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
Nine teams of two compete for the chance of £1,000,000 by completing tasks and answers the questions set by the controller. Starting in the Scottish Highlands then on to Venice.
22"EPISODE TWO"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
The teams move to Italy.
33"EPISODE THREE"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
One team travels into the Amazon rainforest.
44"EPISODE FOUR"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
One team travels into the Atacama Desert in Chile.
55"EPISODE FIVE"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
This Episode teams are in Venice, Istanbul, Chile and Jamaica.
66"EPISODE SIX"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
One team jumps a train in the desert while another needs to retrieve the next question from a crocodile.
77"EPISODE SEVEN"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
Teams move from the Chilean desert to the Goldeneye estate in Jamaica
88"EPISODE EIGHT"9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)

Level 5: SwitzerLand - The final three teams are dropped by helicopter into the Swiss Alps and are directed to their next location. The teams need to shoot their way to the next question, Beth and Jenn make it to a barn where they use a precision laser rifle to shoot five targets within three minutes and receive a key. They are directed to another barn and find an Aston Martin DB5 with 007 enhancements and a briefcase they cannot open. They find directions to Grindelwald in the car and drive off. They then get directions to Jungfraujoch via cable car Jungfraubahn rack railway through the mountain. While on the train they are directed to get off at Stollenloch where they put on harnesses and exit the tunnel to the north face of the Eiger.

The Bone brothers are directed to a frozen lake and need to shoot five bottles of Bollinger in three minutes, they only manage two targets in the time and the case explodes and so they are eliminated. Jenn descends down the face of the Eiger to retrieve a map. Kamara and Josh follow they directions to a cliff face with the suitcase attached to the rock by five chains, they manage to shoot three targets before time limit but the case explodes and they are eliminated. Beth and Jenn follow their map to the Jungfraujoch radio relay station where they find items of 007 memorabilia and are informed by the Controller they are three questions away from the £1,000,000. They proceed outside and remove a case frozen in the ice and a key for the briefcase they have been carrying which they find contains £500,000 in gold and are presented with a question to win the gold. They get the question wrong and are eliminated. We see the last three teams retrieve their winnings in cash from a bank of lockers, Kamara and Josh and The Bone Brothers leave via train while Jenn and Beth leave in the DB5.

Series 2 (2025)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date
91"Mission 1: Thailand"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)

Eight teams of two compete for the chance of £1,000,000 by completing tasks and answering questions set by the controller. In the opening Sequence 4 of the Teams are seen at Luzzone dam in Switzerland where one team member must make a bungee jump off the dam wall in a reference to the jump sequence in GoldenEye. Sid, Dan, Asaad and Alex make the jump for their teams. Also as part of the opening sequence we see all the teams except Sam and Luke driving Aston Martin DB12s on a closed road in Switzerland.

For £25,000 four of the teams are directed to find "Goodnight" in Laem Sai, Thailand. "Goodnight" is the name of the boat that will take them to Scaramanga's Junk where they have to retrieve a hard-drive and SD card from fish tanks containing Scorpions. Ricky and Nobby are fastest followed by Asaad and Jamilah, Cat and Maiya with Sid and Shabina last and facing elimination.
102"Mission 1: Thailand Continued"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)

The remaining teams are directed to Sinn Sathorn tower in Bangkok where they must find the derelict offices of the Carver Media Group Network and search them for instructions on reconnecting a radio tower on the roof to transmit information back to the controller. Sam and Luke finish first then Alex and Rob, Dan and Dylan with Steven and Shelley last.

As the slowest team from this episode Steven and Shelly compete with Sid and Shabina from the first episode face off for elimination where they must identify a Muay Thai move. Sid and Shabina answer incorrectly and are eliminated.
113"Mission 2: Austria"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
As the Fastest team from Thailand Ricky and Noddy are rewarded with a drive in an Aston Martin DB5 with 007 enhancements. The teams are split again with Ricky and Noddy, Asaad and Jamilah and Cat and Maiya facing a walk along cable car wires or a long climb down a ladder to then load balls into a machine requiring teamwork and coordination for £50,000. Jamilah and Asaad complete the mission and choose Ricky and Noddy to face elimination. In Vienna the remaining teams are directed to Prater Park and to look for "Sniper" which is a shooting theme park booth. the teams need to shoot the bullseye to receive their next clue which directs them to a roller coaster, the team needs to split up with one team member on the coaster looking for a device and the other controlling the roller coaster. Once the team member identify the position of the device both team members work to remove a cylinder without touching the sides. Alex and Rob complete the mission and select Sam and Luke for elimination. Sam and Luke and Ricky and Noddy face each other at the Ferris Wheel in Vienna and compete in a game of bluff with Ricky and Noddy winning and Sam and Luke being eliminated.
124"Mission 3: Location Classified"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)

The remaining six teams navigate a maze to gather intelligence on each other. Ricky, Dylan, Alex, Maiya, Shelley and Jamilah are tied in the basement, their partners are locked in the cells with rats tarantulas and snakes. The basement team members need to untie themselves and then they have choice of attempting to rescue their partner first or try to access the vault containing intelligence without them. The vault has time limit of 15 minutes. Ricky rescues Noddy and they access the vault, Maiya accesses it on her own while Jamilah rescues Asaad and also access the vault. Once the vault is blown the teams then have 30 minutes to find further intel in other rooms. The photo room is protected by a laser grid which locks the door if it is broken a certain number of times. They can access a computer room with files on a computer once they identify the password and another room accessed with video interviews using a special watch. Jamilah and Asaad, Cat and Maiya manage and access the photo room. Ricky and Noddy, Alex and Rob, Dylan and Dan access the computers. Cat. and Maiya, Jamilah and Asaad, Dylan and Dan, Steve and Shelley access the video room.

The teams then answer 20 questions to answer on the other teams for £75,000. Ricky and Noddy win with 17 correct answers, then Jamilah and Asaad with 15 followed by Cat and Maiya with 13, finally Alex and Rob with 11 correct. The top four teams then have to choose which of the bottom two teams is to be saved. Three teams chose to save Dan and Dylan while only Alex and Rob choose Steve and Shelley who are then eliminated.
135"Mission 4: Mexico"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
The last five teams arrive at Hacienda San Antonio Ometusco in Mexico where they take turns shooting a replica flint lock dueling pistol at a shot glass of whiskey in a scene reminiscent of Skyfall. Cat and Maiya, Alex and Rob and Dan and Dylan make the shot and win £100,000. Ricky and Noddy and Jamilah and Asaad head to the Otomi Ceremonial Centre, which was used as a location in License to Kill, there they race around the site in pick-ups driven by stunt drivers, they answer questions on a tablet as they are driven and a correct answer will put that team ahead of the other in the race. Ricky and Noddy answer more correct and stay in the game while Jamilah and Asaad are eliminated. A Mexican airforce heliopter comes to pick Ricky and Noddy.
146"Mission 5: Day of the Dead"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
The remaining four teams are sent to Mexico City City during the Day of the Dead parade which was popularised by the opening scene of Spectre. As the winners of the last mission Cat and Maiya are able to select which team they want to work with, they choose Ricky and Noddy which forces Dan and Dylan and Alex and Rob to work together. One member of each team is handcuffed to the same briefcase, which is carrying £500,000. Their teammates stay in the base and need to find the clues in the room to direct their people on the ground to find the key to the briefcase. The first clue is on a float in the parade and the second in a skip bin in an alleyway for Cat and Ricky and under van in a carpark for Rob and Dylan. The final clue directs them to Teatro Fru Fru which is a location from Spectre. Ricky and Cat arrive first and retrieve the key which forces the losing teams to go to Bar La Faena where they have to watch a Spanish dance and answer questions about it. Rob and Alex answer correctly, Dan and Dylan are eliminated.
157"Mission 6: Bahamas"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
The final three teams are taken by Bahamian defence force vessel to a submerged wreck in the Bahamas. The teams dive to the wreck and need to identify the correct box to retrieve amongst the decoys then use a lift bag to float it to the surface. Alex and Rob select a decoy and have to go back down and retrieve the correct box. Once they have the correct box the teams need to swim to the beach and answer questions about the task before they run out of time. Ricky and Nobby answer three of four questions correctly, Cat and Maiya answer one of three right while Alex and Rob have no questions right in the time limit and are eliminated.
168"The Final Mission: London"22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
Cat and Maiya and Ricky and Noddy face off at the Vesper club in the Bahamas in a game of bluff. Ricky and Noddy win receiving £500,000 and move to London to compete for the £1,000,000 where they are separated and presented with various objects from their travels and asked to pick the one that represent the single most important moment of their adventure for both of them. They both chose different items and so miss out on the £1,000,000.

Reception

Joel Golby at The Guardian enjoyed the series, saying that even though it may not make sense on paper, it is "mega-fun" and Cox chewed up the scenes in his portrayal of a Bond villain, holding the series together.[10]

Lucy Mangan, also at The Guardian, gave the series a strongly negative review, calling it "shoddy, boring and soulless," and criticised its use of the Bond brand as "tenuous."[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Yossman, K. J. (13 September 2023). "James Bond Reality TV Series 007's Road to a Million Already Casting Second Season (Exclusive)". Variety.
  2. ^ Rantala, Hanna (8 November 2023). "New TV show 007: Road To A Million brings Bond-like tasks to screens". Reuters.
  3. ^ Hibberd, James (5 October 2023). "Amazon's James Bond Game Show Hosted by Brian Cox Releases Teaser Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. ^ Fecou, Louie (14 November 2023). "Which iconic Bond locations were used to film 007: Road to a Million?". Ready Steady Cut.
  5. ^ Reyes, Mike (1 December 2023). "007: Road To A Million Producers Told Us About The Iconic Prop They Got To Use, Then Realize It Might Have Been Cut From Season 1". Cinema Blend.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Ravindran, Manori (25 March 2022). "James Bond Competition Show Greenlit at Amazon's Prime Video With Producers Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  7. ^ Yossman, K. J. (3 November 2023). "Brian Cox Jumped at Starring in 007: Road to a Million: 'I've Always Wanted to Play a Bond Villain'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  8. ^ Ravindran, Manori (24 April 2023). "Succession Star Brian Cox Joins Prime Video's James Bond Reality Show Road to a Million". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  9. ^ Thomas, Carly (2023-11-08). "Brian Cox Says He Joined '007: Road to a Million' Thinking It Was the Next James Bond Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ Golby, Joel (4 November 2023). "007: Road to a Million – Brian Cox is scene-chewingly villainous in Bond's mega-fun reality series". The Guardian.
  11. ^ Mangan, Lucy (2023-11-10). "007: Road to a Million review – Brian Cox is so bad it could ruin Succession for you". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-10.