James Bond writers honoured by University of Kent 19 July 2013 Last updated at 14:53 Continue reading the main story From university in Kent to the glamour of James Bond, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have remained firm friends and a highly regarded screenwriting team. Now they have returned to their student roots to receive honorary degrees. The duo have co-written the screenplays of the last five Bond films - from Die Another Day to Skyfall - among others. And they were together again when University of Kent deputy vice-chancellor Keith Mander presented them with honours to reflect their success. The pair met on the Canterbury campus, where they shared a room for the first term of the academic year 1980-1. Bunk-beds mates Mr Purvis's stay was short-lived. He realised he was less suited to the philosophy course he had embarked upon than the more attractive film studies on offer at the then Polytechnic of Central London. They are both very engaging characters, very ego-less. End Quote Prof Simon Thompson School of Computing, University of Kent His room mate, meanwhile, stayed the course and graduated with honours in 1983 in film theory and English. But in that short time together, in bunk beds at Eliot College, they struck up a rapport that was to extend well beyond their student days, culminating in a collaboration that has stood the test of time - and professional scrutiny. Tim Masters Entertainment correspondent, BBC News Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are notable as the writers who took James Bond out of the 20th Century and reinvented him for the 21st. For their first 007 screenplay - 1999's The World is Not Enough starring Pierce Brosnan - the pair said wanted to recapture the spirit of Ian Fleming and "delve deeper" into Bond's character. Die Another Day followed in 2002 - a box office hit, but not a fan favourite (the invisible car!), the film proved to be Brosnan's swansong. After a detour into comedy spy territory with Johnny English, Purvis and Wade returned to the Bond franchise in 2004. Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig's rugged new Bond, was a radical reboot and the screenplay (written with Paul Haggis) earned a Bafta nomination. Quantum of Solace was less-well received, but Skyfall is arguably Purvis and Wade's greatest achievement. Co-written with John Logan, it became the highest-earning Bond film of all time. Skyfall marked the pair's departure from Bond, but future projects include more iconic screen characters: Barbarella and Kojak. Mr Purvis said: "We were put in to share bunk beds at the university, so that's how we met. You get to know someone quite well when they're above you or below you and stayed friends ever since. Prof Simon Thompson, who read the oration at the pair's honorary degree ceremony, said: "Robert was in the very first cohort of film studies students [at Kent]. Things were very different then. The university was that much smaller - about 3,000 students - whereas there are about six times that now. It was a very tight-knit group. He is still in touch with some of those who were on that course. 'Stand-out' character The duo also played in a rock band on campus. "They used to practise in the launderette [in Eliot College] because it had really good acoustics," added Prof Thompson. Although their student days were brief, the pair later shared a house in London, forming a screenwriting partnership that produced several films, including Let Him Have It and Plunkett & Macleane. They went on to further success with the Bond quintet The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. Prof Thompson added: "One of the lecturers, John Ellis, described Robert as a stand-out character with a ready wit and discerning smile. And they have retained their link with the university, returning recently to give a presentation to the current film studies school. Their honorary degrees are recognition of that link and of their contribution to British film industry.