Bond baddies began as bullies

Villain Blofeld

LONDON: James Bond's criminal mastermind enemies Blofeld and Scaramanga were named after prefects who terrorised Ian Fleming's nephew at school, said a member of the Blofeld family.

It was thought Blofeld was named after John Blofeld, brother of cricket commentator Henry, because he drank at the same members' club as Fleming in the 50s.

However, John's son, author Tom Blofeld, has suggested a new hypothesis that ties together the cat-stroking supervillain and The Man with the Golden Gun baddie, Scaramanga.

Looking at pictures of old pupils at his school, Sunningdale Prep, Tom Blofeld found his father pictured in the same class of 1947 photograph as a "rough-looking type called Scaramanga". Four years later, Fleming's nephew was in the class of 1951.

Villain Scaramanga

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Blofeld said he believed the younger Fleming spent school holidays with his writer uncle.

"One day when Uncle Ian peered up over his G&T long enough to ask his nephew how he was getting on at school. He was told it was ghastly because two prefects, Blofeld and Scaramanga, were making his life a misery."

Using their names as enemies of James Bond was therefore Fleming's way of "taking revenge on behalf of his nephew".