The journalists waiting to speak to Daniel Craig, were divided.  Men wanted to quiz him on his decision to wear a blue cardie for the press day (not very Bond?); women wanted to talk trunks, which he wears in the scene that turns a Bond tradition on its head, as instead of some Bond goddess emerging dripping from the sea, Mr. Craig wades out, merman-like, rippling. This film is full of such blatant mission statements that it is Bond re-invented.

Time can go slowly in a junket. Today even more so. Everybody had six interviews to carry out - two Bond girls, the director, the producer, the baddie and the new 007 himself.

Generally, journalists who do these junkets are already blase about sitting around in a velvety hotel room filled with coffee and muffins, waiting for six minutes with directors and filmstars, but the press day for 'Casino Royale' was buzzing.

We'd heard a rumour - never confirmed - that because the advance reviews were so good, the studio had considered junking the press day altogether, the job was as good as done. But the interviews went ahead as planned.

There'd been a feeling Craig might be edgy, seeing as he'd had to suffer a Bond shouldn't be Blonde campaign at the start, but he was in good spirits. Please don't ask him to say 'the names bond, James Bond,' I was told. I wouldn't dream of it, I said, meaning it.

The director Martin Campbell told me all that the negative press had been tough on Craig when they started filming, but if the new 007 felt vindicated by the critics' reaction that he is a great Bond, he was refusing to crow about it, everything was just dandy.

He got uptight just once, when someone asked him if he'd been bullied at school. He quizzed her afterwards - why did she ask that? What was she fishing for? Because it was coming up to National Anti-Bullying Week, she'd thought it might inspire kids if they heard that Bond had once been bullied but gone on to drive flash cars and get all the great women. Oh.

When I got up to leave the interview I went to shake his hand.  "Thanks", I said. He looked relieved. "I thought you were going to give me a right hook," he said. If those muscular poses are anything to go by, I pondered that he would easily be able to defend himself.