He was the little boy who fell in love with the adventures of James Bond at the tender age of seven.

Now, 30 years later, James Chapman is a leading Bond expert, awaiting the highlight of his year with the release of Quantum of Solace.

Daniel Craig is back on the silver screen this Friday in his second outing as 007.

Cinemas up and down the country are gearing up for one of the busiest weekends ever, saying demand for advance tickets had been "unbelievable".

Professor Chapman – a University of Leicester lecturer and the author of Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films – thinks it will meet everyone's expectations.

He is certain the gamble to bring in Craig – who debuted in 2006's Casino Royale – will continue to pay off.

He said: "Since the Bond films started in 1962, the producers have been continually reinventing the franchise, but obviously this time they've started afresh and detached 007 from all the baggage of the previous films.

"With the Daniel Craig films, the producers have moved away from the special effects and it was a bold move."

The new Bond has more anger and emotion, and Prof Chapman thinks he is a more interesting character.

Despite his own excitement about the new-look Bond, he admits the acid test will be at the box office.

He said: "Everyone went to see Casino Royale because they wanted to see what the new man was like. If they didn't like him, they might not go back this time.

"Pierce Brosnan was pretty consistent at the box office but Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton both had lower takings for their second films.

"So, how well this new film does will be a good indicator of people's opinion of the new James Bond."

Anticipating demand, Leicester's new Showcase Cinema De Lux will give Bond fans a big taste of double-0-heaven as the super spy takes over the Highcross.

In total, the film will be shown 72 times over the weekend.

The Vue cinema, in Meridian Leisure Park, will screen the film 44 times this weekend.

A spokesman said: "Tickets are selling very quickly."

A spokesperson for Leicester's Freemen's Common Odeon said: "The requests have been unbelievable. We are getting a lot of calls about the film."

After becoming a lecturer in film studies, Professor Chapman decided to venture away from the high-brow art films and look at more popular blockbusters.

He said: "I thought popular cinema must be just as important to study.

"And the Bond films say a lot about culture, patriotism and masculinity, among other things."

The professor got into Bond after seeing a young Roger Moore in the 1977 classic The Spy Who Loved Me.

Despite his admiration for Daniel Craig, he believes the best actor to portray the secret agent was Welshman Timothy Dalton, who he thought was the closest to author Ian Fleming's original.

His favourite movie was 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring George Lazenby, who turned down a seven-film contract and never had a major role again.