It is one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year and the stars made sure to pull out all the fashion stops for the No Time To Die premiere in London tonight.
Stars Ana de Armas, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch led the glamour in breathtaking evening gowns as they joined leading man Daniel Craig, who was dapper in a pink dinner jacket, at the Royal Albert Hall.
Despite the wet weather, the stars were still dressed to the nines in showstopping frocks, with Lashana standing out in a vibrant yellow Vivienne Westwood Couture ballgown with a voluminous black skirt and dramatic asymmetric neckline.
It was almost exactly the same shade as red carpet host Clara Amfo’s strapless cocktail dress, which featured figure-flattering ruching, draped off-the-shoulder sleeves and a flirty calf-length hemline.
Elsewhere Naomie opted for a sleek white column evening dress with cut-out detailing on the bodice and delicate shoestring straps. Typically sophisticated, she kept accessories to a minimum but did add a beaded strand to her hair.
One of the fashion misses of the night was reality TV star Kimberly Gardner, who flashed her underwear in an attention-grabbing white gown with a dramatic side slit. The cut of the dress revealed the entirety of her leg – and a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath – as she walked the red carpet.
A winning shot! Tennis champion Emma Raducanu made sure all eyes were on her when she stepped out wearing a beautiful Grecian-inspired gown which she accessorised with Tiffany & Co. jewels
Glitter girl: Naomie opted for a sleek white column evening dress by Michael Kors with cut-out detailing on the bodice and delicate shoestring straps. Typically sophisticated, she kept accessories to a minimum but did add a beaded strand to her hair
… And the misses: One of the fashion misses of the night was reality TV star Kimberley Garner, left, who flashed her underwear in an attention-grabbing white gown with a dramatic side slit. Right, Billie Eilish, who wrote the No Time To Die theme song, eschewed a glamorous evening dress for a boxy black suit in a shimmering black fabric with matching shirt
Bright and beautiful! Lashana Lynch stood out in a vibrant yellow Vivienne Westwood Couture ballgown with a voluminous black skirt and dramatic asymmetric neckline. She struck a pose as she walked the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall
Missing the mark: Bond girl Britt Ekland didn’t quite hit the mark with her ruffled black dress, which she shore with a small red handbag. Right, from the pink coat, to the platform heels and chain draping, there was too much going on with Tallia Storm
Classic glamour: Dapper Daniel Craig opted for a deep pink dinner jacket with dress trousers for the premiere. Right, No Time To Die star Lea Seydoux channelled old Hollywood glamour in a silver and white gown complete with shimmering cape
Epitome of elegance: Dame Judi Dench proved less really is more in a sweeping black ensemble of a top, trousers and flowing long shawl with embellishment. Right, Phoebe Waller-Bridge played with contrast in a black disco jumpsuit and cream coat
Fussy florals: Actress Priyanga Burford stepped onto the carpet wearing a busy wraparound top and matching trousers
Meanwhile Billie Eilish, who wrote the No Time To Die theme song, eschewed a glamorous evening dress for a boxy black suit in a shimmering black fabric with matching shirt, which she wore with Gucci platform slides. The oversized, baggy shape did little to accentuate her figure.
Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas stepped out in a slinky black satin evening gown with a plunging neckline and thigh slit that revealed most of her leg. The dress featured chunky chain effect straps that brought a touch of edge to the otherwise refined ensemble.
The actress, who previously dated Ben Affleck, wore her brunette locks in a long bob with a trendy blunt fringe.
No Time To Die star Lea Seydoux channelled old Hollywood glamour in a silver and white gown complete with shimmering cape.
The dress featured a cut-out neckline, cinched at the waist and spilled out into a full skirt. The French actress wore her hair in a short, sleek crop that was swept to the side and sported a glamorous make-up look using several Charlotte Tilbury proudcts.
The bright colours and monochrome looks were a perfect counterpoint to Daniel Craig’s dark pink dinner jacket.
Sheer daring: Ronan Keating’s wife Storm styled her floaty midi dress with strings of Chanel necklaces
Red carpet hits! Ana de Armas led the glamour in a black evening gown. Right, host Clara Amfo in figure-flattering yellow
Keeping things casual: Claudia Winkleman looked less dressed up than other guests, opting for black trousers and a top
Blonde bombshell: Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly also opted for black, teaming her short one-shoulder frock with glitzy heels. The blonde bombshell was joined on the red carpet by her husband Vernon Kay
Baring it all: Nicola Adams’ girlfriend Ella Baig, an OnlyFans star and model, wore a body suit under her sheer frock
Power couples: Christian and Geri opted for classic black and white. Right, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson
Ahead of the red carpet event, fans gathered at the Royal Albert Hall to catch a glimpse of James Bond’s Astin Martin as it made its way to the red carpet.
Crew members brought the luxury vehicle to the venue in a truck where it was rolled out hours before the star-studded event began. The car had bullet holes in the glass and scratches across the sides following Bond’s adventures.
It has been a long road to the premiere after the film’s release was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was pushed back to November before the release was changed once again to April 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Striking a pose: Olympic athlete Asha Philip stuck a pose in a beautiful black gown complete with thigh-split
Fancy in fishtails: Dominique Tipper (left with Sope Dirisu) and Roma Downey (with Mark Burnett) chose a similar cut of gown
Far cry: Cutting a dapper enough figure to give Bond himself a run for his money was footballing star Harry Kane
Stepping out together: Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll was also in attendance and joined by his partner Raquel who wore a delicate beaded dress
The release date was finally settled for September 30 in the UK followed by October 8 in the US.
Ahead of the release, Daniel and some of his fellow star cast members joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about the movie.
Daniel, who has appeared in five Bond films over 15 years, told Chris: ‘After the last one, I thought that was it. I thought, ‘I can’t do any more of these. I got a bit of a rest and we kind of talked about what we wanted to do with this last movie and how big we wanted to go, and it felt right, and I just got really excited about it, and I can’t wait for people to see it.
‘I saw a rough cut of it about a month after we finished, which is really rough, because there’s no special effects or anything. When you see that version of it, you just hope and pray that it makes sense, and it did.
‘Once you get the effects, and you get the music, Hans Zimmer’s done the music, and it’s just incredible. The story holds together. Everyone is just turning in brilliant performances, and I think it’s quite special.’
Speaking about the enforced delay to the film’s release due to the pandemic, the actor said: ‘It’s odd enough with a movie, when you’ve finished it, and you put it out and you kind of go, ‘Woah, I hope it’s good.’
Man behind the music: Hans Zimmer opted for a smart suit complete with flamboyant slippers
Night out: Paralympic athletes Bethany Firth, Jordan Birtles, Maisie Summers-Newton, Hannah Cockroft, Nathan Maguire and Charlotte Henshaw enjoyed a night on the town together
Licence to thrill: Daniel Craig looked as dapper as ever in a dark pink suede jacket as led the star-studded arrivals for the world premiere for No Time To Die at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday
Looking sharp: No Time To Die actor Dali Benssalah looked sharp in an all-black suit
All in the details: Q actor Ben Whishaw opted for an embroidered suit jacket while posing for photographs on the red carpet
Radiant: Sara Pagliaroli and Lance Stroll both looked radiant on the carpet
‘But when there is a two-year gap between finishing it and putting it out, it just makes things even stranger.’
On where he was when he first found out he had got the role of Bond: ‘I was in Baltimore doing a movie. And I was in Whole Foods, doing my weekly shop, wandering around with a trolley with food in it, and (producer) Barbara Broccoli was on the phone, and she just went, ‘Over to you kiddo.’
‘So I got my trolley and I pushed it quietly down an aisle, walked into the booze section and bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of vermouth, a glass and a shaker, took it home and drank it, and then went out and sat in a bar and drank about three more vodka martinis.
‘It’s really sad, actually, when you think about it. But, I must have had a sort of look on my face, because the barman kept asking me what was going on, and I said, ‘I can’t tell you!’
Daniel recently addressed the outdated James Bond plotlines of past films in the franchise – such as the idea of glamorous disposable so-called Bond girls.
Funnymen: Alan Carr and David Walliams put on a playful display, with David wrapping his arm around Alan
Sharp: Songwriter Jay Kay opted for a sharp suit and was joined by a glam female companion
Twinning: Olympic athletes Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova opted for identical thigh-split dresses in different colours
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, he said of the spy series – which sees latest movie No Time To Die released this week – that ‘you’ve got to adapt’ with the times.
‘Certainly a lot of what went on in the earlier movies is sort of questionable now… different times, but we didn’t want to lose the essence [in the new film]. It’s still a Bond movie.
‘I’ve been given free range to put my influence on it, but I’ve never forgotten that. We can have all key elements and things people have loved over the years, but you adapt.
‘One of my biggest things is all the characters, especially the women, have to be brilliant and believable.’
Daniel also told Lorraine about becoming overcome with emotion when he shot his final scene as Bond.
Delighted: Sir Mo Farah appeared delighted to be out in the name of film and posed alongside his wife Tania and daughter Rhianna
All-black: The Grammy-winner, 19, looked typically stylish in an all-black look and added height to her frame in chunky open-toe platform shoes
‘Everybody turned up – all the heads of department came down, and I thought ‘Oh God, I have to make a speech, this is my worst nightmare.’ It all just came out, I tried to keep it together.
‘All of those people I go to work with every day, particularly on this movie, the collective effort was so huge and meant so much to me that everyone put that hard work in – that’s what I’ll miss so much.’
No Time To Die is the 25th film in the franchise, and finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.
Leaving his seemingly happy life with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), Bond returns to the field to face Safin (Rami Malek) who is armed with a new dangerous technology that could impact the world.
Producer Barbara Broccoli has already teased what fans can expect and said that the movie will deliver a satisfying ending for Daniel’s Bond.
Speaking on the official James Bond podcast, she said: ‘It’s a culmination of everything that his portrayal of the character has been through and it ties up all the storylines. It’s a pretty epic film, I have to say.’
Daniel took over the role of Bond from Pierce Brosnan in Casino Royale in 2006 and went onto appear in Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre in 2015.