Young Bond goes to Eton

SilverFin, the first in a series of audio dramas adapting the Young Bond books by Charlie Higson, is due for release in October. Its story opens with James Bond (Isaac Rouse) beginning his studies at the historic Eton College.

The production team took lead actor Isaac Rouse to Eton so that he could see first-hand where Bond spent some of his most formative years. We also took the opportunity for a special photo shoot of Isaac in costume.

Producer Robert Valentine said: “Obviously, we were always going to do a photoshoot of our Young Bond actor in character, and it struck me early on that the very best thing we could do would be to do it at Eton College, with our Bond in period-accurate ‘lower boy’ uniform.

“But there’s a world of difference between me suggesting it and  actually making it happen. It was also something of a happy accident that our star, Isaac Rouse, was not only perfect casting vocally, but he looks like Fleming’s James Bond as well.”

Writer and director Barnaby Edwards said: “I thought it was way too ambitious and could never be pulled off: sourcing the costume, getting permission from Eton College, assembling the whole caboodle in one place on one specific day. But I’m delighted to say I was wrong. Together, Rob, Steve and Lizzie pulled off a small miracle.

“The resulting photos were vital to the production. They gave us a visual reference on which to build our packaging design, and they encapsulated the essence of Young Bond. When you see the boy in that uncomfortable 1930s school uniform surrounded by the very buildings within which he was taught, you suddenly understand why the man was drawn to a life of non-conformity. Eton is a fundamental part of the Bond story and we’re so grateful to the college for granting us permission to do the photoshoot there.”

Producer Lizzie Worsdell added: “As with all Big Finish titles, we knew we’d be taking promotional photos of the cast, but we wanted to do something a little more special for SilverFin. It ended up being one of the highlights of the production. Our costume designer Savannah Blum sourced a beautiful period-accurate lower boy uniform so seeing Isaac in costume against the backdrop of Eton really brought the world of SilverFin to life.

“It was such a fun day and a real team effort. Huge credit goes to everyone who made it happen. We were incredibly lucky to be able to photograph in such a historic location.”

SilverFin is comprised of 16 half-hour episodes, making up approximately eight hours of full-cast audio drama. It will be released on 29 October 2026 as two box sets, available from www.bigfinish.com and www.ianflemingshop.com. Each box set can now be pre-ordered for just £24.99 (download to own) or £35.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD).

Additionally, listeners can pre-order the two volumes together as a bundle, available in a number of premium tiers with strictly limited, exclusive collectable packages:

• Platinum (limited to just 300 copies worldwide): SilverFin Volumes 1 and 2 as collector’s edition CDs and digital downloads to own, plus an exclusive ‘Young Bond Intelligence Report’ magazine and commemorative collectables (notebook, mug, fridge magnet, and behind-the-scenes postcards), for £119.
• Gold (limited to just 300 copies worldwide): SilverFin Volumes 1 and 2 as collector’s edition CDs and digital downloads to own, plus commemorative collectables (notebook, mug, fridge magnet, and behind-the-scenes postcards), for £95.
• Silver: SilverFin Volumes 1 and 2 as collector’s edition CDs and digital downloads to own, for £68.
• Bronze: SilverFin Volumes 1 and 2 as digital downloads to own, for £48.

Copies of the SilverFin novel by Charlie Higson can also be purchased from the Big Finish website, for £6.99. And, the novel is available in a bundle with both volumes of the SilverFin audio drama, for £54 (with the audio drama as digital downloads to own) or £68 (with the audio drama on CD).

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All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 December 2026. 

Young Bond will be released digitally, followed by a special collector’s edition CD. Pre-orders of the CD will also unlock a digital copy which can be instantly downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.