He was James Bond‘s archnemesis for more than 60 years, setting a string of villains onto the spy and even assisting the murder of his wife, all while stroking his signature white cat.
But just when 007 thought he had dispatched Ernst Stavro Blofeld once and for all in the 2021 blockbuster No Time To Die, the Spectre boss has made an unsettling return…via the middle name of the son of feuding Notting Hill parents.
William and Annabel Woodhams’ newborn Basil Groove Blofeld went viral after film fans realised he was named after the recurring antagonist in Ian Fleming’s creation.
The eyebrow-raising moniker marked the latest instalment of a Bond-themed family tradition which all began over a naming clash four years ago.
They had originally decided to name their first son Stanley Beats Woodhams, the middle name a reference to Annabel’s DJ career as well as their favourite character from BBC show People Just Do Nothing.
But as he walked towards the register office at Chelsea Old Town Hall in something of a daze, William, now 47, decided to get his ‘revenge’ and make a last-minute tweak.
He told The Times: ‘I was annoyed about it because I thought it was pretentious.’
The publishing company director took action by squeezing in the name of Bond villain Scaramanga, from 1974 film The Man With The Golden Gun, meaning his boy was now called Stanley Beats Scaramanga Woodhams.
William and Annabel Woodhams’ newborn Basil Groove Blofeld went viral after film fans realised he was named after the recurring antagonist in the James Bond series
Basil (pictured with his mum) joins a family of eccentrically named members, including a horse called Disco Dinosaur Wonky Donkey and three dogs, named Pablo Escobark, Disco Rita and Gloria Estefan
‘I regard Ian Fleming as a literary hero,’ William said. ‘All the best actors play the villains.’
Hitman Francisco Scaramanga is played by legendary British actor Christopher Lee in the movie.
Now his brother has followed the trend, named after Blofeld who led terrorist organisation Spectre in attempting to thwart Bond throughout the much-loved films.
William is not worried about his children being teased, adding: ‘My middle name is Rodney and I grew up when Only Fools And Horses was popular. I got called a “plonker” for 10 years.’
He suggested that most of those looking down on his boys’ names were simply jealous, and that an unusual second name was more acceptable than a bizarre first name.
Despite some criticism, he insisted that the majority backed the quirky monikers, although his wife Annabel, a popular house music DJ known as ABEL, was not one of them.
The mother, now 37, had left it all up to her husband as he headed to the register office, because only one person was allowed into the room due to Covid restrictions at the time.
Although she had been warned about the possibility of a Bond-themed middle name, Annabel assumed it had been a joke – and she said her father still thinks it is a prank to this day.
Spectre leader Blofeld, pictured in 1967 film You Only Live Twice, was James Bond’s archnemesis for more than 60 years, often pictured with his signature white cat
The unusually named boy is the latest to take the moniker of a Bond villain – his brother is named after Scaramanga, pictured, the antagonist in 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun
Blofeld joins a family of eccentrically named members, including a horse called Disco Dinosaur Wonky Donkey and three dogs, named Pablo Escobark, Disco Rita and Gloria Estefan.
Two children in, and the Woodhams’ naming formula has now been perfected. The first name will always be a tribute to an elderly relative, the second related to music, and the third a tribute to a Bond villain.
While William reckons two children is enough, he suspects his wife might like to try for a girl and accepts that if another great name is suggested, he will be open to the idea.
The frontrunners for Bond child number three? ‘Goldfinger or Pussy Galore [Bond’s love interest in the film Goldfinger],’ according to Annabel.
