As Bond heads back to 1950s Asia, meet the spy linked to Malaya

James Bond, the iconic fictional spy, is set to make a return to 1950s Asia in a new adventure penned by historian Dan Jones. Titled "All In," the story is scheduled for release in December and marks the 70th anniversary of Ian Fleming's beloved novel, "Diamonds Are Forever." The plot follows Bond as he is dispatched to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) six years after independence to recover a highly valuable gemstone, taking him from the highlands of Kandy to the ocean floor.

The setting is intriguing due to its ties to a real-life British intelligence operative named Denis Emerson-Elliott, who some historians believe may have inspired the creation of Bond. Emerson-Elliott, a businessman by day, was a secret agent in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, a period when communist insurgents plagued the peninsula.

He shared similarities with Bond, including his multilingual abilities, love for fast cars, and connections with both the intelligence community and women. Additionally, both men were involved in espionage work and maintained close relationships, both before and during World War II. The timing of Jones's new Bond story is particularly fitting, as it places the iconic spy in an Asia grappling with imperialism, independence, and Cold War tensions - a world that resonated with the experiences of Fleming and his intelligence operative counterparts.