LONDON, Feb 9 (AFP) - Having seen off all manner of Russian agents, evil geniuses and homicidal henchmen, superspy James Bond emerged triumphant on Wednesday in the face of perhaps his toughest enemy -- the anti-smoking lobby.
Anti-tobacco groups had lobbied the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which gives ratings to cinema films in the country, to crack down on what they see as the glamorisation of smoking.
A scene in 2002 Bond film "Die Another Day" in which Pierce Brosnan lights up a fat Cuban cigar was cited as a glaring example.
But in new classification guidelines compiled with the input of more than 11,000 members of the public, the BBFC ruled that 007 was unlikely to encourage youngsters to follow suit.
"We showed the groups clips including 'Die Another Day' where James Bond is smoking a cigar," a BBFC spokeswoman said.
"They were quite happy with it and thought a junior audience were unlikely to take it up."
But BBFC director David Cooke hinted that Bond's unhealthy lifestyle could be under scrutiny again in the future.
"Quite a high percentage felt quite strongly we shouldn't prohibit smoking in films because it would be unrealistic," he said.
"But as with drug and alcohol misuse, we will be looking at the issue of glamorisation, at junior levels in particular. It may influence us in which classification level to go for."
02/09/2005 15:27 GMT - AFP