IT is the scene that defined Roger Moore’s 007 adventures but the Bond girl whose dress fell victim to his magnetic watch reveals it would not happen in the films today.

The Live and Let Die actress Madeline Smith, who played saucy Italian agent Miss Caruso, is returning to Ealing to entertain crowds for a charity event at the Questors Theatre on Saturday.

Born in 1949, the actress recalls her part in the 1973 bond movie as pure ecstasy – quite different to her infamous work in the Hammer horror movies before.  

“The dress was made for me – it was made of a thick blue fabric with a horrible high neck and I hated it,” the former Bond girl said.

“But the point of this dress was that it had a cord all the way down the back zip.

“So while Roger Moore was supposedly undoing it with a magic watch, a very famous special effects man, Derrick Meddings, was lying at my feet pulling at this zip with a string.”

Having worked with Mr Moore in The Persuaders during the 1970s Ms Smith found herself being recommended for the part before she had even considered the role.

The actress said: “He really was a magical and wonderful man.

“I think that Roger not only had the looks but had the humour and I think the sense of danger which made the part.”

The mother-of-one explained how she thinks Bond films have changed over the years.

She said: “There doesn’t seem to be any humour at all now and the franchise just isn’t the same anymore.

“A modern Bond Girl would not have her dress unzipped by a magnetic watch.

“Women play a much bigger role than they did in the 70s, they are much tougher, I did a short opening scene when I was 23 but now they become part of the story.”

Un-phased by the development in the changing attitudes towards female roles in the Bond epidemic, the actress treasures her involvement and largely owes it to the Questors Theatre.

She said: “In about 1962 my school took us to a production there and the theatre was way ahead of its time.

“I had never even thought about being an actress at all.”

With no theatrical family members the 007 star taught herself how to read a variety of speeches before auditioning and being accepted into the theatre’s youth group.

Sadly her new interest was short lived as school took over, preventing any further involvement in the art.

“’You can’t do this Madeline because you are doing your O levels’ everyone said, and it broke my heart,” she explained.

“But in those days you don’t argue with your form mistress and she was a very scary figure.”

Reminiscing about her school days, it is clear the Hammer actress was no golden girl, often rebelling against the rules and playing truant.

With depression taking its toll and friends departures, it was clear that she had stayed too long at the Ealing convent.

Ms Smith said: “That was when I started to take the 27 bus and coming to Biba in High Street Kensington and looking at these pretty clothes before getting a job there after I finished school.

“The acting – I had completely lost it after being turned down by this naughty teacher and it only came back by accident.”

Life took an unexpected turn for the 70s starlet after being scouted on her way to work for a small part in an Italian film, quickly followed by a rapidly built but successful modelling career.

“We were all of a type in those days we all had fringes and long hair and huge false eyelashes and painted on eyelashes which I still do,” Ms Smith explained.

“And we all looked like typical 60s girls.

“If you think mini skirts are short these days you should have seen us in those days they were like a belt – we didn’t realise how prerogative we were being.”

Adventures involving drunken photographers and spontaneous dinner trips to Germany soon became a thing of the past as Ms Smith quickly found her way back to the acting scene.

“I auditioned for a film with Ava Gardner and that was lovely and I got that part,” she said.

“And then came the Hammer films.

“And then from being simply dreadful having not gone to drama school after being so put off I think I became not half way decent but quarter way decent.”

Appearing in three Hammer films, the flamboyant actress starred among some very famous names as the horror series took off and ruptured a loyal fan basis.

Ms Smith said: “The second one Frankenstein, I think was made in ‘72 and I think it was the best of the three – it is very modest and probably the best acted.

“Then there was the Vampire lovers in which there a degree of nudity not approved of by me and not wished for but it happened.

“I was told that because Ingrid took all her clothes off would I mind very much if I just took off my little bodice very briefly as nobody would see anything.

“But of course everybody sees everything every time they see the film.”

Even with the success and roles that followed from the legendary films the self-proclaimed  ‘wannabe once doctor’ was still left wanting more, and had an empty hole that needed to be filled.

She said: “I never saw myself as a serious actress, I always wanted to stay in sketches and comedy and make people laugh.

“What I would love to do is to natter on screen to all the ladies of my generation and exchange gossip about the 60s because I think a lot of people are intrigued by the 60s and early 70s.

“That is the kind of stuff I would really like to do now – just gather people around me and chat to them and have a laugh.”

Madeline Smith will join the Ealing cinema club on Saturday, October 15 at Questors Theatre for a Q&A session and a showing of her 1974 film Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.