Sales rep Stuart McKell is a self-confessed James Bond junkie.

He gets high on scale-model Bond girls, swoons at 007's weaponry and gets a buzz from the secret agent's four-wheeled pulling power.

Stuart - middle name James - has so much Bond memorabilia, it fills the dining room at the Oakworth home he shares with his ever-tolerant wife, 34-year-old Silvana.

Tolerant because Stuart's collection - which numbers hundreds of items linked to the films - is lovingly laid out on the new dining room table.

His 007 books have even usurped Silvana's on the bookshelf and the rest of the collection has spread over every bit of wall space.

The soundtrack from Goldfinger plays softly on the stereo and standing proudly in the living room are two cardboard cut-outs of Millennium bond, Pierce Brosnan.

Stuart, 34, owns every official Bond video and all the music and when he's not listening to the tunes and playing the films, he's reliving the adventures of 007 on his play station.

"Yes, I'm obsessed," confesses Stuart, a Bond fan all his life and a collector of memorabilia for the last eight years.

"Usually I keep it all in boxes in the attic. Now that it's on display I'm surprised how much there is of it.

"It all started when I was in Leeds shopping with Silvana and I got bored and went off on my own. I saw a gold-coloured model of an Aston Martin. I had the silver one as a kid which was the actual colour of the car in the film. I was just nosing around, but within ten minutes I had bought it."

Later, Stuart found a silver model, which holds a special place in his heart because a similar car was bought for him by his mum after she took him to see first Bond Sean Connery in Goldfinger at a Saturday matinee in Keighley when he was seven.

Stuart confesses his passion has snowballed and he is always on the lookout for items to add to his collection.

Like the James Bond 007 Scalextric set issued in 1968, which had two special trick cars, an Aston Martin and Mercedes.

"I'm sure someone round here will have one stashed away in the loft. I've advertised before but so far without success." said Stuart.

His latest addition is an 1/18th scale model of a BMW Z8 used by Brosnan in the latest Bond movie, The World is Not Enough, bought from Germany.

Pride of place among the collection is a Road Race Set issued only in the USA in 1965 on the release of Thunderball - the Holy Grail of collectables. And it doesn't even work.

"A lot were sent back by customers because they were faulty so there are very few about," said Stuart.

He said that prices for Bond memorabilia had soared since he first started collecting.

"I was very fortunate. I started when it was more affordable. In those days you could go to fairs, look at an item, walk away and consider it and go back if you wanted it.

"Now you have to be quick. If you see it and you have the money, you buy it."

And what does export shipping manager Silvana, who holds the purse strings, think?

"At least when it comes to birthdays and Christmas I know what to get him, but he has to tell me what I have to get and where," she says.

"He keeps telling me it's an investment and when he dies I'll be a rich woman!"

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.