Calgary

Calgary British Consulate showcases best of Britain for Bond movie premiere

Hundreds of people did their best Bond or Bond girl imitation on Monday night at a gala hosted by Calgary's British Consulate.

400 people attend 'secret mission' celebrating Britain and its most famous spy

Daniel Craig at the premiere of his latest James Bond movie, Spectre, which had a special VIP screening in Calgary on Monday night. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File) (The Associated Press)

Martinis in hand  — shaken not stirred — about 400 people did their best Bond and Bond girl imitation on Monday night.

They had recently received a mysterious invitation, telling them they were selected for a secret mission by the British Government. Arrive at the Sheraton Hotel, Eau Claire at 17:30 and await further instructions, they were told. 

The swanky debrief included cocktails, prizes, canapés and further instructions to show up at the Eau Claire theatre for a VIP pre-release screening of Spectre for the 24th film in the Bond franchise, featuring Daniel Craig.

The guests represented a cross-section of Albertans, all invitees of Calgary's British Consulate and Tony Kay, the British Consul General. Kay's job is to showcase the best of Great Britain to western Canada. He also happens to be a huge Bond fan and has seen every film and read every book. Besides the Bond premiere, the event also featured what Kay called the 'best of Britain," from the Bond films, Aston Martins — Bond's favourite car and a few other precious props.

Kay managed to partner with Visit Britain to secure the western Canadian premiere of the movie in Calgary.

The reviews aren't in yet, so we'll have to wait to find out whether this Calgary crowd was shaken or stirred by Spectre.