"Grow up, 007"

He rarely appeared in the novels, but the cinematic Bond is unthinkable without him. I'm talking about the Quartermaster. Here I rank the best film appearances from the man who never jokes about his work.

Licence to Kill

Desmond Llewelyn had the best chemistry with Timothy Dalton. I like him best when he has an active role in the story, which is the case with Licence to Kill. Q is very likeable in this film — he shows more care towards 007 as he assists Bond by his own will as he gets rogue. It's Desmond's greatest acting performance.

Skyfall

The Craig era has got the modern interpretation of the character spot on. Turning an old, wise, gadget man into a young computer nerd was a brilliant move. Only two film appearances and Ben Whishaw has a legacy almost as important as Desmond. The metro chase scene, in which Q has an important role, is one of the highlights of the series.

Octopussy

Octopussy shows Desmond's chemistry with Sir Roger Moore in the best way. Like in the above two films, I rank this highly, because Q has a more active role when he arrives with Bond in a hot air balloon at Kamal Khan's palace. Although I find his "later perhaps" remark a little out of character!

Goldfinger

The most iconic Q scene, providing the most iconic car — the Aston Martin DB5. Goldfinger is also the film that gave life to the role of Q. Goldfinger turned Q from a minor character who just provides Bond's with his weapons into the guy who takes his work very seriously. 

The World Is Not Enough

This should be in the top five purely for the brilliantly written and emotional exit of Desmond from the series. After telling Bond that he should "never let them see you bleed" and "always have an escape plan", he disappears. The death of Desmond Llewelyn makes this scene even more poignant. Alongside Judi Dench, this is one of the strongest departures of a regular face.