Doctor Christmas Jones: A Nuclear Physicist Bond Girl
Doctor Christmas Jones, a renowned nuclear physicist in the 1999 Bond film The World Is Not Enough, first encounters Bond at a mine in Kazakhstan, and initially mistrusts him before ultimately joining forces with him on his mission.
As their alliance deepens, she blossoms into his lover, adding her name to the illustrious roster of Bond girls. This compelling character, brought to life by American actress and former fashion model Denise Richards, adds a unique blend of intelligence and charm to the cinematic universe of 007.
Doctor Christmas Jones
We first meet Dr. Christmas Jones when James Bond heads to a Russian ICBM facility in Kazakhstan. He’s there investigating Renard, the terrorist who’s suspected to be lurking within. Bond, disguised as a Russian nuclear scientist, meets Doctor Christmas Jones, an American physicist stationed in Russia, working on dismantling nuclear warheads.
Bond’s initial interaction with Doctor Jones is somewhat frosty. She sternly warns him against any potential Christmas-themed jests. Her name, it seems, has inspired too many.
Once inside the missile silo, Bond spots Renard. He’s removing a GPS locator card and a significant portion of weapons-grade plutonium from a nuclear device. However, before Bond can get to him, his cover is blown by Christmas Jones who questions the discrepancy between his looks and his age on the stolen ID.
With Bond’s cover compromised, Renard seizes the opportunity to steal the bomb and escapes, trapping the remaining personnel in the rigged missile silo. Thanks to Bond and Doctor Jones’ quick thinking, they barely escape the ensuing explosion with the weapon’s locator card in hand.
In Azerbaijan, Bond uncovers the fact that the stolen bomb has been installed in the King oil pipeline. He and Doctor Christmas Jones venture into the pipeline to neutralize the bomb, where they discover half the plutonium is absent. They manage to evacuate just before the explosive destroys a large section of the pipe.
Meanwhile, Elektra King capitalizes on the situation to kidnap M, erroneously presuming Bond and Christmas Jones to be dead. With the help of Bond’s old KGB contact, Valentin Zukovsky, they make their way to Istanbul.
Once there, they discover Renard’s intentions to load the stolen plutonium into a submarine’s nuclear reactor. This would cause a catastrophic explosion, wrecking Istanbul and the Russian oil pipeline that passes through it, thereby inflating the value of Elektra’s own pipeline.
Bond and Dr. Christmas Jones get caught after they survive an assassination attempt. Jones is taken to the commandeered submarine, while Bond is taken captive and tortured by Elektra.
In a turn of events, Bond breaks free, saves M, and kills Elektra. He then dives into the sea to reach the submarine, frees Doctor Jones, and confronts Renard, eventually killing him. As the submarine sinks and ruptures, causing a contained nuclear explosion underwater, Bond and Dr. Christmas Jones manage to escape.
In the closing scenes, they celebrate the holiday season in Turkey, indulging in a private romantic moment – a moment briefly observed by MI6 via a body sensor technology. However, the surveillance is cut short under the excuse of a supposed technical glitch.
James Bond and Doctor Christmas Jones Quotes
Of course, 007 couldn’t go without a few Christmas jokes/Bond quotes, even though he was told off when they first met. He waited until he’d gained her trust, but as the two are celebrating Xmas in Turkey, Bond says, ‘I’ve always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey.’
She asks if it was a ‘Christmas joke’. Bond denies it, but Doctor Christmas Jones then asks him, ‘Is it about time to unwrap your present?’
Then, they’re in bed and Bond tells Doctor Jones, he was wrong about her. She asks how so, and Bond tells her, ‘I thought Christmas only came once a year.’
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards, an American actress and former model, was born on February 17, 1971. She began her career as a teenager, appearing in print ads and making her film debut in 1993’s Loaded Weapon 1.
Richards gained fame through her performances in Starship Troopers and Wild Things. In 1999, she played nuclear physicist Bond girl, Doctor Christmas Jones in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, cementing her place as one of the biggest stars of the 1990s.
Her vast filmography also includes blockbusters Drop Dead Gorgeous and Scary Movie 3. In 2018, Richards joined the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
She was also part of the adventure drama series Glow & Darkness in 2020. Personal life includes a turbulent marriage with Charlie Sheen, with whom she shares two daughters, and her current marriage to Aaron Phypers.
